RANCHI: Rail traffic on the Hatia–Rourkela section was disrupted on Wednesday after a goods train carrying iron ore from Rourkela to Bokaro derailed near Kanarowan railway station in Jharkhand's Simdega. At least 10 wagons went off the tracks.
Of the 10 derailed wagons, five to seven bogies were reported to be completely damaged. The accident also damaged approximately 100 metres of both up and down lines. The Puri-Hatia Tapaswini Express was traveling directly behind the freight train at the time of the accident. Due to the alertness of railway personnel, the train was stopped at Tati station, averting a major loss of life.
Although no casualties have been reported, the railways has suffered losses estimated in crores of rupees. The track, sleepers, overhead power lines, and signal systems were severely damaged. The exact cause of the derailment is yet to be ascertained.
According to officials, the incident took place at around 10:13 am on Wednesday near the northern cabin of Kanaroan railway station under Bano police station area. A freight train carrying iron ore from Rourkela to Bokaro suddenly derailed between poles 524/29 and 524/36.
After receiving information about the accident, RPF and GRP teams rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area, establishing security. No one is allowed to approach the accident site.
Senior officials, including the DRM, at Hatia Railway Division also reached the spot and assessed the situation. Work to remove debris and repair the track was subsequently initiated on a war footing.
Senior Divisional Commercial Manager at Ranchi Rail Division Shuchi Singh said that the operation of approximately 11 trains has been affected due to the incident. However, alternative arrangements have been made to ensure that passengers do not face any inconvenience. Every effort is being made to ensure the safe arrival of passengers to their destinations, she said.
According to railway officials, technical teams are working continuously, and if everything goes as planned, the track repairs will be completed within 10 to 12 hours. Partial train operations are expected to resume by late evening. Meanwhile, all train services on the Bano-Rourkela section have been suspended, diverted or short-terminated after the incident. Many passenger trains have been stranded at various stations.
The Tapaswini Express was terminated at Tati station and sent back to Rourkela in Odisha. According to officials, about 1,300 passengers were travelling on that train. Buses were arranged for passengers at Rourkela station to bring them to Hatia, they said.
The Hatia-Rourkela passenger and Hatia-Sanki-Hatia passenger have been cancelled for Wednesday, while the Hatia-Jharsuguda MEMU train has been short-terminated. At least nine trains, including the Sambalpur-Gorakhpur Maurya Express (15027), Visakhapatnam-Banaras Express (18523), Sir M Visvesvaraya Bengaluru Terminal-Hatia Express (12836) and Dhanbad-Alappuzha Express (13351), were diverted.