The Jan Shatabdi Express enroute to Bhubaneswar from Howrah derailed near Bhadrak on Saturday evening. All passengers are stated to be safe.
As per reports, a bogie of the superfast express derailed from the track near Dagarasahi level crossing in Bhadrak after hitting a bull.
The express train was about to approach Bhadrak station but one of its compartments derailed just a few kilometres before the station near a level-crossing.
The locomotive driver immediately pulled the brakes which averted a probable big mishap ensuring the safety of the boarded passengers at the time.
The Railway department immediately swung into action to press on rescue and restoration operations at the spot.
When contacted, the East Coast Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Biswajit Sahu over the phone said, “After a collision with a bull, two wheels of the SLR coach next to the engine got derailed. The important message I want to convey is that all the passengers are safe.”
“A team has been at work at the accident spot with local officers closely supervising it. We expect it will take half an hour to one hour to separate the affected coach and allow the train to resume its journey. Since all the passenger coaches are on line and the affected coach is an SLR one, all the passengers are safe,” Sahu said.
Regarding traffic disruption, he said, “Since there are double lines, it shouldn’t have any impact on traffic. We have a trained team to work at night. So there shouldn’t be any difficulties or delays in carrying out the operation.”
SLR coach means Sitting cum Luggage Rake. In a train, there are two SLR coaches. While the first one is next to the engine, the second one is at end of the train.
The incidents of train derailment have become a more frequent sign in Odisha with the latest one occurring near Chhatripur in Koraput’s Jeypore area on September 12. As many as four coaches of the Visakhapatnam-Kirandul passenger train derailed.
A section engineer and a gangman were held responsible for the mishap and were subsequently put under suspension.
Earlier, five wagons of a cement-laden goods train had derailed at Bhubaneswar station yard on August 22 evening. The train was heading from Chakradharpur to Vizianagaram. The mishap caused damage to the track and electric line, leading to disruption of train services on the track.