Six Coaches of Kolkata-Sairang Express Derail in Assam; No Casualties

Six coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed at Assam's Digaru station on Wednesday morning. Officials confirmed no casualties occurred, and rescue operations are ongoing. Passengers are being transported via an alternate train.

Kolkata-Sairang Express Derails in Assam

Six coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed at Digaru railway station in Assam’s Kamrup (Metro) district on Wednesday morning, officials said. Kapinjal Kishore Sharma, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway, told ANI over the phone that no casualties had been reported so far.

“Six coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express have derailed at Digaru railway station at around 6:54 a.m. today. So far, no casualties have been reported. Our senior officials have rushed to the spot,” Sharma said.

According to the Northeast Frontier Railway, the incident occurred when Train No. 13125 Kolkata-Sairang Express was being received at Digaru railway station to give precedence to another train. The locomotive, along with five coaches, derailed after the loco pilot could not control the speed, the CPRO said. All passengers are safe, and no injuries have been reported. Passengers are being transported to their destinations by an alternate train, while relief and rescue operations have been initiated. The General Manager and other railway officials have proceeded to the site. Further details are awaited.

Recent Incidents of Train Derailment

Earlier, two wheels of a freight train derailed near Dhedela in Gujarat while travelling from Dahod toward Jakot, affecting traffic on the down line on Monday night. The empty freight train was heading toward Madhya Pradesh at the time of the incident. Two Delhi-bound trains were delayed following the derailment. Following the incident, Railway teams immediately initiated restoration work. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Jolarpettai Junction Coach Derailment

In another incident, seven empty railway coaches, which reportedly rolled away unattended from the railway yard at Jolarpettai Junction in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur district, travelled nearly six kilometres without an engine before derailing near Thamaleri Muthur, disrupting train services between Bengaluru and Chennai. The incident triggered an emergency response, with railway authorities alerting officials to stop trains approaching Jolarpettai from Bengaluru at various locations to prevent a possible collision.

A major accident was reportedly averted after the gatekeeper on duty heard the unusual noise of the derailed coaches and immediately alerted railway authorities. According to preliminary information, the seven empty coaches had been stationed at the coach maintenance yard for repair-related work. The coaches were reportedly pushed by an engine but were allegedly not properly secured or brought under control by railway staff, following which they began rolling on their own.

Following the alert, railway personnel rushed to the spot and initiated a clearance operation to remove the derailed coaches from the main track. The incident affected several trains operating on the Bengaluru-Chennai route, resulting in delays to their scheduled services and causing disruption to passenger movement.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)