Toy train mishap: Rly Safety Commissioner initiates inquiry

Commissioner of Railway Safety S K Pathak today initiated inquiry into the derailment of a chartered heritage train near Kalka, in which two British nationals were killed and 13 others injured.
The driver of the train has also been suspended.
Three carriages of the toy train, carrying a group of 37 tourists from Britain, had derailed on Saturday near Parwanoo in Himachal Pradesh between Kalka and Taksal stations on Kalka-Shimla rail section.
In the morning today, Pathak visited the accident site in Himachal Pradesh, over 3 kms from Kalka railway station, which falls in Haryana and is about 35 km from here.

He also gathered feedback from the hospital at Mohali where the injured British tourists had been taken to after the mishap, railway officials said.
Later at the Railway Rest House near Chandigarh railway station, statements of police, revenue and civil officials were recorded before the Commissioner, besides that of railway officials and representatives of British High Commission.

The proceedings of Commissioner of Railway Safety were kept out of bounds for the media.
Divisional Railway Manager (Ambala) Dinesh Kumar told reporters that the train's driver has been suspended owing to prima facie feedback that his driving was "not normal".
He said the Commissioner would record statements until late in the night today.

"This is a public inquiry. Anyone including the passengers can depose before it. Any person who cannot depose but has got any information which has a bearing on the accident can convey it to the Commissioner of Railway Safety in writing or send an e-mail," he said.
Among others present were Chief Safety Officer, Chief Track Engineer, Chief Medical Superintendent, besides senior officials of the Northern Railways, Ambala Division.
The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a narrow gauge service which mainly covers the mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla.