Goods train derails at Palghar, affecting rail traffic between Mumbai and Surat

Railway officials said that restoration work is in progress and accident relief trains from Nandurbar, Udhna, Bandra Terminus and Valsad are on the way

Palghar: Railway traffic between Surat and Mumbai was affected on Tuesday evening after six goods wagons and a brake and guard van derailed at Palghar railway station around 5 pm, possibly because of a rail facture.

The fully loaded train was moving at a moderate speed, said Sanjay Patil, an eyewitness. The Virar resident said after the six wagons and the brake and guard van derailed, the remaining wagons of the goods train moved a few metres away and halted.

Railway officials said that restoration work is in progress and accident relief trains from Nandurbar, Udhna, Bandra Terminus and Valsad are on the way.

The 12936 Surat - Mumbai Intercity train has been terminated at Vapi; the 16505 Gandhidham - SBC Express, the 12432 Nizamuddin - Trivendram Rajdhani Express, and the 19260 Bhavnagar - Kochuveli Express have been diverted via the Surat - Udhna - Jalgaon – Kalyan route.

A goods train carrying steel coils towards Mumbai derailed near the crossing point of the main rail line and loop line at Palghar railway station. The accident blocked the available alternate route available for the movement of trains towards Mumbai.

A rail fracture was seen a few metres away from the derailment site and is believed to be the reason behind the derailment. But railway officials are unsure if the fracture caused the derailment or vice versa.

The fully loaded train was moving at a moderate speed, said Sanjay Patil, an eyewitness. The Virar resident said after the six wagons and the brake and guard van derailed, the remaining wagons of the goods train moved a few metres away and halted. The wheels and couplings of the derailed wagons were broken apart from the main frame of the wagons. An Over Head Equipment (OHE) pole was also uprooted.

The restoration work of the derailment started after a few minutes after the accident. The steel coils each weighing over 24 tonnes had to be lifted and then the clearance of the derailed wagons, the wheels and the structure of the wagons have to be cleared. The erection of the OHE pole and restoration of electric supply and tracks is expected to take over 12 hours, said a railway official at Palghar.

Over 15 down-direct trains were stranded along the line. Those included Shatabdi Express and other superfast trains and suburban trains. Porbunder Dadar Saurashtra Express was expected at Palghar station after the passage of accident accident-prone goods train.

Over 10 thousand daily commuters had been stranded at suburban stations of Palghar, Boisar, Dahanu and Saphale stations and many of them opted to travel by road to reach their destinations. The district administration has made an alternative arrangement for state transport buses from Palghar to Virar, which were found inadequate.

The railway officials at Palghar said that the trains on UP line were running “indefinitely late.” The rail services on the down line were also late.