Guwahati, Nov 11: In a fortunate escape for hundreds of passengers, the locomotive engine and five passenger coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express jumped the tracks near Digaru railway station in Assam’s Kamrup (Metropolitan) district early Wednesday morning, railway authorities confirmed.
According to Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) officials, the derailment occurred around 6:54 AM as the long-distance express train—connecting Kolkata in West Bengal with the newly constructed rail terminus at Sairang near Aizawl in Mizoram—was entering the station yard loops. Railway spokespersons confirmed that all onboard passengers were evacuated safely without any reported fatalities or serious physical injuries.
Preliminary operational findings indicated that the mishap occurred while the train was being routed into a loop line to allow operational precedence to another approaching train. The locomotive crew reportedly encountered speed regulation difficulties while negotiating the station points, causing the engine and the five immediately trailing passenger compartments to derail onto the ballast trackbed.
Emergency medical squads, railway engineers, and specialized Accident Relief Trains (ART) equipped with heavy hydraulic re-railing jacks were immediately dispatched from Lumding and Guwahati divisions to stabilize the carriages and restore track geometry. NFR General Manager Vivek Khare alongside senior divisional safety commissioners arrived at the derailment site to oversee restoration efforts. Stranded passengers were provided refreshments and accommodated on an alternate special train service to proceed onward to their destinations in Mizoram.
Published by True Roots Media