Vijayawada: Coach shortage delays train restoration

Vijayawada: Shortage of bogies has halted the efforts of officials to restore the Ratnachal Express, which was burnt during Sunday’s violence following the Kapu Garjana at Tuni.

The popular train service has been cancelled since due to the incident.
The train operates with 23 coaches. Since the entire train was burnt, the railways is looking for 23 replacements.

But the Vijayawada division is facing a coach shortage. The officials of Vijayawada division also informed the situation to senior officials. According to officials, more time is required to resume the service.

The railways is losing '6 lakh every day as the division is not  in a position to run the train. The officials have cancelled the Ratnachal Express for the next three days from Friday. The train may be restored from February 8, if the coaches are allotted to Vijayawada division.

Passengers who travel on a daily basis between various stations on the Vijayawada-Vizag route, apart from those travelling between the two cities, are facing hardships.

In a separate development, the railways has recommended awards for staff who helped the passengers leave the train when agitators attacked. The engine driver and guards will be honoured by the railway department.

South Central Railway  officials asked Vijayawada railway division officials to submit the report. The guards and driver avoided the human loss by alerting the higher officials to cut power supply.

The Vijayawada railway division lost '15 crore in the incident. Former minister Devineni Nehru and other Congress leaders would meet the divisional railway manager to request restoration of the service immediately.