Team Herald
VASCO: Three people died and nine others were injured after 13 coaches of Patna-bound Vasco Superfast Express derailed soon after the train left platform number 2 of Manikpur Railway station in UP.
Barely hours after the incident, railway officials set up a helpdesk at Vasco railway station to assist family members aboard the train. However, except for inquiries about incoming train from Patna and few train-schedule-related inquiries, officials did not receive any local inquiry. “Since morning we have not received any major inquiry from relatives of those aboard the Vasco-Patna Express. People called to know whether the incoming Patna-Vasco train would run as per schedule or not, similarly they were inquiring about other schedule trains. Only one person personally approached us in the morning to know the status of injured people,” a railway official informed Herald. It was also informed that the incoming train would run as per schedule (departure from Patna on Saturday afternoon) and any last moment changes will be duly announced.
Meanwhile, it is important to note that on December 12 2008, railway authorities had started train service between Vasco to Patna express and since then this weekly train is in high demand and finding reservation in this train is very difficult. Considering high demand from passengers, the South Western Railway authorities added two special bogies in the train and the train that derailed on Friday morning also had two additional reservation bogies to accommodate waiting list passengers.
