Key Delhi-UP rly route up & running in 29 hours

Kanpur: The damaged up line between Kanpur Central and Rooma railway stations in Maharajpur area of Kanpur was restored by 5.34am on Sunday, ending a 29-hour spell of inconvenience on the Howrah-Delhi route that is one of the country’s busiest.
Derailment of 12 coaches of the 12303 Howrah-Delhi Poorva Express early on Saturday had damaged more than 500 metres of tracks and uprooted nearly half a dozen overhead electricity poles, besides also partially affecting the down line. But, a contingent of technical staff from the railways restored the route by Sunday morning, officials said. Machines were also pressed into service to supplement efforts of workers and railway engineers.

“Cancelled and diverted trains are back on track. The first to pass through the accident site was a goods train. Later, Prayagraj Express and Brahmaputra Mail also took the restored route and reached Kanpur Central before heading for its onward journey,” said Sunil Gupta, PRO of North Central Railway.

Curious onlookers thronged the accident site as linesmen shovelled away stones to lay new concrete sleepers and reinforce tracks. “We have placed new sleepers on a nearly 500-metre stretch of the up line. Half a dozen power poles, which had been flattened, have been erected once more,” said a linesman.

The 12.54am accident on Saturday had held up traffic on both up and down lines for seven hours. The first passenger train to pass through the down line was Vikramshila Express. A goods train had preceded it to test the signalling system.

Several trains had had to be halted at Kanpur Central and Allahabad stations soon after the derailment.