Vijayawada: A goods wagon carrying a consignment of cars derailed on its way to Visakhapatnam/Kolkata at Rajahmundry station yard at 2.55am on Wednesday, resulting in cancellation of 12 trains, partial cancellation of two and rescheduling of one train.
The 13th wagon of the 26-wagon goods train was coming from Walajabad in Tamil Nadu to the Kidderpore docks in Kolkata. It started tilting due to ‘uneven loading’, hit a sleeper coach kept by the side of the track and fell to the ground at Point 67/B of the yard.
Fortunately, the latest technology being used in looping the wagons helped the other wagons of the derailed train to remain on the rails.
Railway authorities sent 11 wagons attached to the front portion of the derailed wagon to Kadiam railway station and 14 wagons from the backside of the train to Rajahmundry railway station.
A 140-tonne crane reached from Vijayawada and teams of technicians came in, lifted the derailed wagon and placed it on the safe side of the tracks.
The railways stopped power supply on both up and down tracks for over two hours from 8.13am to 9.57am when the salvaging works were on. The wagon was re-railed by 10am.
During this period, operation of train services was allowed on a single line. Nine trains running between Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam, Guntur and Visakhapatnam and Kakinada Port and Vijayawada were cancelled and two trains running between Kakinada Town and Vijayawada and Tadepalligudem and Rajahmundry partially cancelled.
The Vijayawada and Lingampalli train was rescheduled by 2hrs. Three more trains plying from Guntur to Repalle and Repalle to Tenali and Tenali to Guntur were also cancelled.
The railways set up help desks for passengers at Rajahmundry, Samalkot and Vijayawada railway stations and special catering arrangements at wayside stations and sections in addition to setting up special refund counters to help stranded passengers cancel their tickets.
Divisional railway manager Shivendra Mohan has ordered an inquiry to identify the reasons for the mishap.
