Goods train derails at Jharsuguda, rail traffic hit

ROURKELA: Rail traffic on the busy Howrah-Mumbai main line of the South Eastern Railway (SER) were affected after a goods train derailed near Jharsuguda late in the night on Sunday.

At least a dozen of trains were running several hours behind schedule on Monday following the derailment. SER sources informed that three wagons of the goods train plying on the third line connecting the Jharsuguda yard derailed at around 1 am. The derailed wagons damaged overhead power wires and electric post along the tracks, blocking passages on the Up and Down tracks of the Howrah-Mumbai main line. 

Many trains were stranded at different nearby stations due to the mishap. Train movement on the Up track was restored at around 5.30 am in the morning and the Down line by 7 am.

At least seven prominent trains on the Down track and five on the Up line including the 2259 Gitanjali Super Fast Express and 02833 Howrah-Ahmedabad Super Fast Express ran two to three hours behind schedule. Separately, services of four local trains including the Jharsuguda-Rourkela and Rourkela-Hatia passenger trains were cancelled for the day.  

SER’s chief public relations officer at Kolkata Niraj Kumar said train services have been restored on the route on a war-footing to avoid inconvenience to the passengers. By early Monday morning, movement of trains started normally. Investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the derailment, he added.