Representative image of a derailed train.
Credit: iStock Photo
New Delhi: Thirty-eight wagons of a goods train derailed on a freight corridor near Sri Madhopur station in Rajasthan on Tuesday night after a bull suddenly came on the tracks. The incident happened on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor at 11:05 pm on Tuesday, causing major disruptions to operations along the entire corridor, sources said.
The 59-wagon freight train was running at a considerably high speed when the loco pilot spotted the cattle on the tracks and tried to stop the train, but was unable to halt it in time. Thirty-eight wagons were derailed, of which 16 were empty and 22 were loaded with rice sacks. Two tracks of the freight corridor were affected due to the derailment, which occurred after a bull suddenly came on the tracks," a freight corridor official said, adding that restoration work has been initiated on the line.
“The train’s crew is safe, but operations have been severely hampered. All top officials are on-site to ensure the quick restoration of services,” source said.
The goods train was coming from Hadiya in Punjab, carrying food grains in covered wagons to western parts of the country.
The accident site, Sri Madhopur station in Rajasthan, is approximately 75 km from Phulera station. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited (DFCCIL) has not released any official statement regarding the derailment.