Fifty-three of 58 coal-laden compartments of a goods train derailed on the Gaya-Dhanbad section of East Central Railways (ECR), forcing the diversion of over a dozen long-distance passenger trains ahead of Chhath when tens of thousands of migrant workers return to Bihar and Jharkhand to celebrate the festival.
Officials said no casualty was immediately reported and that the derailment took place after the train’s brakes failed and it collided with an electric pole while crossing a hilly area. The train was on its way from Gaya to Koderma.
Officials said the loco pilot tried to reduce the train speed after noticing problems with the brake but due to the steep slope it was not possible.
ECR chief public relations officer Birendra Kumar said the train derailed at 6.24am. “…due to the accident, movement on both tracks have been disrupted, leading to diversion of passenger trains. Senior railway officials have reached the accident site and are probing the cause of the derailment while efforts are on to put back the derailed coaches on the tracks.”
Kumar said it will take some time before the tracks are cleared. “The primary objective is to restore the train movement to both sides.”
The coal was strewn on the railway tracks while several pillars, electrical poles, signal posts, and both tracks were damaged.
The derailment hit the train movement on the Howrah-Deen Dayal Upadhyay route. Some trains have been diverted via Sasaram-Ara-Mughalsarai, Gaya-Patna, and Dehri-on-Sone-Chopan-Allahabad routes while others through the Mughalsarai-Patna-Jhajha section. The diversions mean that passengers would have to travel six to 10 hours more to reach their destinations.
