Kanchanjunga Express tragedy: Train direction reversal turns tragic for some, lucky for others
Times of India | 18 June 2024
JALPAIGURI: A scheduled operational procedure at Lumding, which involves a direction reversal for trains passing through the station, turned into a life-altering event for passengers in the front and last coaches of Kanchanjunga Express on Monday. The express train was struck from behind by a goods train at Rangapani.
The direction reversal at Lumding in Assam meant that the coaches which were initially at the front became the rear end of the train.
A passenger travelling in a sleeper coach located in the middle of the rake said, “The affected coaches were in the front till Lumding.” He explained that after the direction reversal, the affected four coaches—a general seating coach, two parcel vans, and a guard van—were at the rear end. The general seating coach was the most affected, being thrown onto adjacent tracks, he added.