Kanchanjunga Express accident in Bengal: Several trains cancelled, diverted; repair work continues

At 8:55 am on Monday, a goods train crashed into the back of the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani

Updated on: Jun 18, 2024, 12:42:26 IST

By HT News Desk

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Several trains were cancelled or diverted on Tuesday, June 18, after the Kanchanjunga Express accident that resulted in nine deaths and over 25 injuries, according to officials.

A cargo train rammed into Kanchanjunga Express, a passenger train, near New Jalpaiguri station. (AP photo)

In an official release, the Northeast Frontier Railways said that five trains — (15719) Katihar-Siliguri Intercity Express, (15720) Siliguri-Katihar Intercity Express, (12042) New Jalpaiguri-Howrah Shatabdi Express, (12041) Howrah-New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express and (15724) Siliguri-Jogbani Intercity Express — were cancelled so far on Tuesday.

According to a statement by Northeast Frontier Railways chief public relations officer Sabyasachi De, New Jalpaiguri to New Delhi Superfast Express (12523) was rescheduled and diverted. Whereas, New Delhi--Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express (20504) and Silchar--Sealedah Kanchanjungha Express (13176) were diverted.

Kanchanjunga Express accident: Lucky to be alive, say passengers on reaching Kolkata

At 8:55 am on Monday, a goods train crashed into the back of the Sealdah-bound Kanchanjunga Express near Rangapani, about 10 km south of New Jalpaiguri (NJP) in the Phansidewa area of Darjeeling district.

Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Katihar Northeast Frontier Railway, Surendra Kumar said to ANI, “Restoration work has been going on since night. The trail of an engine was carried out upline along with two goods trains and one Shatabdi train towards NJP (New Jalpaiguri Junction) yesterday. Since it is an accident site, the trial was done with some caution. Within half an hour, the line beside it will also be restored.”

The Kanchanjunga Express reached its destination, Kolkata's Sealdah, at around 3:15am on Tuesday after the restoration work was completed. The passengers on the train expressed their ordeal saying they were scared to travel in trains again. Some also thanked God for saving their lives.

Read Here | ‘First a huge jerk, then everything started tumbling’: Kanchanjunga Express survivors

The train services in the Phansidewa area resumed on Tuesday. Kumar told ANI, “For the last 24 hours, all the railway workers have been working very diligently. There was incessant rainfall last night, yet they were working to restore the line...Almost 90% work has been done...All causes that could have contributed to this incident are being examined by CCRS”

Four coaches of the Kanchanjunga Express were affected, including a general compartment, two parcel coaches, and the guard van. Five coaches of the goods train were derailed. The train, with 19 unaffected coaches, continued its journey towards Kolkata with 1,293 passengers around noon on Monday.

Railway officials said that while the up line is already running again, the down line has also been cleared.

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