A landslide near Parassala railway station in Thiruvananthapuram district derailed the locomotive of the Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express early on Thursday, disrupting rail services on the Neyyattinkara–Parassala section before the track was restored within six hours.
The incident occurred at 2.19 am after Train No. 22619, the Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express, was stopped near Parassala following the landslide. The locomotive was found derailed after the train halted at the location, Southern Railway said in a statement.
“All passengers and railway staff are safe,” the railway authority said. No injuries were reported in the incident.
A relief locomotive was arranged to move the train, while an accident relief train, along with railway personnel and restoration materials, was sent to the site. Railway teams re-railed and removed the locomotive before completing track restoration work in the affected section.
Southern Railway said services between Neyyattinkara and Parassala were restored by 8.10 am after the necessary safety inspections. The Kanniyakumari–Mangaluru Central Parasuram Express, which had been delayed following the landslide, subsequently departed from Parassala and passed safely through the section.
The disruption nevertheless affected several services scheduled for Thursday. Six passenger trains were fully cancelled, while two express services were partially cancelled or altered because of the restoration work. The affected passenger services included trains operating between Thiruvananthapuram North, Nagercoil Junction and Kollam Junction.
The Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express, which had begun its journey from Bilaspur on October 20, was earlier terminated at Neyyattinkara. The section between Neyyattinkara and Tirunelveli was partially cancelled, and buses were arranged to transport passengers to their destinations.
Two Amrit Bharat Express services also faced changes despite the reopening of the track. Train No. 16121, the Tambaram–Thiruvananthapuram Central service, was short-terminated at Nagercoil Town after leaving Tambaram at 5.30 pm on Wednesday. The return service, Train No. 16122, scheduled to depart Thiruvananthapuram Central at 10.40 am on Thursday, was instead scheduled to originate from Nagercoil Town at 11.47 am. The service between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Nagercoil Town was partially cancelled.
The landslide occurred amid heavy rain in the region. The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram district on Wednesday, warning of very heavy rainfall, followed by a yellow alert from October 22 to October 25 for heavy rain.
Southern Railway said train operations resumed after restoration and safety checks. Further service changes remained linked to the affected routes and the revised origins and terminations announced for Thursday.
