New Delhi: A series of derailments involving goods trains occurred across three states — Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and West Bengal — over the weekend, disrupting rail traffic between Saturday (July 20) and Sunday (July 21), The Indian Express reported.
In Uttar Pradesh, a goods train carrying cargo from Gonda to Ghaziabad derailed near Amroha railway station on Saturday evening, affecting both up and down tracks on the Lucknow-Delhi section. While no casualties were reported, the incident forced the diversion of 28 passenger trains and cancellation of six local and passenger trains. Normalcy was restored by Sunday afternoon, the report mentioned.
Aditya Gupta, senior divisional commercial manager, attributed the derailment to a sudden drop in locomotive pressure, which led the drivers to apply emergency brakes.
“Nine wagons of a goods train which was on its way to Ghaziabad from Gonda in Uttar Pradesh derailed near the Amroha railway station on the Moradabad section. The drivers, Iqbal and Amit, got command of the goods train from Moradabad and they said there was a sudden slump in the pressure in the locomotive, forcing them to apply the emergency brakes which perhaps caused the derailment,” Gupta was quoted as saying by IE.
In Rajasthan’s Alwar, three wagons of a goods train derailed early Sunday morning at 2.30 am, affecting the Alwar-Mathura route, but no passenger or freight trains were impacted due to the timing of the incident.
An empty goods train derailed at Ranaghat station in West Bengal’s Nadia district on Sunday evening, but the incident was minor and did not impact rail operations.
“During internal shunting in Ranaghat goods yard, brake van of empty BCN goods rake derailed on Point no.133. However, the brake van was quickly rerailed at 21:56 hrs in Sealdah Division,” Eastern Railway said.