BENGALURU: Six wagons of a goods train carrying 2,408 tonne of fertiliser from Malavittan railway station in Madurai division to Haveri station in Mysuru division derailed nearly 99 km away from Bengaluru.
The three train crew on board the train -- the Loco Pilot (LP), Assistant LP and Train Manager - are safe. According to an official release from South Western Railway, the mishap occurred between Marandhalli and Rayakkottai stations in the Bengaluru-Salem Section at 2.12 am on Friday. The cause for the derailment is yet to be ascertained, said a railway official. The train had 42 wagons.
Traffic on the stretch was hit as restoration was going on. It was restored and certified fit for movement of trains at 7.25 pm on Friday. The first empty MEMU train passed through the section at 8.30 pm An official release said, “The Bengaluru Division Disaster Management team has worked ceaselessly to restore the track and resume train operations. The restoration was done in the shortest possible time with the deployment of two accident-relief trains, one 140-tonne rail crane, several excavators, hydra machine and a multidisciplinary team of over 200 personnel.”
Following the derailment, eight trains were cancelled: KSR Bengaluru-Jolarpettai-KSR Bengaluru MEMU Special from both ends; the Salem-Yesvantpur Express from Salem and Dharmapuri; KSR Bengaluru MEMU Special from Dharmapuri; Yesvantpur - Salem Express from Yesvantpur; KSR Bengaluru--Mysuru MEMU Special from KSR Bengaluru; Mysuru-KSR Bengaluru MEMU Special from Mysuru. Eleven trains were diverted and three trains were rescheduled.