The Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed while entering Digaru Railway Station in Assam on Wednesday morning, forcing passengers to evacuate and disrupting the movement of two other trains. No casualties or major injuries were reported, according to the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).
The incident occurred at around 6.54am in Kamrup (Metro) district as Train No. 13125, travelling from Kolkata to Sairang, was being received at Digaru station to give precedence to the Jan Shatabdi Express. The locomotive and five coaches derailed, NFR said.
NFR chief public relations officer Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said the loco pilot could not control the train’s speed in time. He said the train was moving at a low speed when the derailment occurred and confirmed that there were no casualties or reports of major injuries.
Passengers described confusion inside the train after the derailment. The pantry car manager, speaking to news agency ANI, said he and other passengers were asleep when they heard an unusual sound as the train crossed the station. He said the engine appeared to have derailed, but the train continued moving for about a kilometre before stopping roughly 10 minutes later.
“We were asleep around 5am today. Everything was fine till Guwahati; the train halted there. It resumed the journey from there. The speed was good. When the train arrived at Digaru Station, it slowed down a little,” he said, according to ANI.
He said the engine and power car were badly damaged and that passengers struggled to open the gates while the train was moving in its derailed state. “Barely a few metres ahead, I felt the engine derail. We moved for another km in that derailed state. I fell from my seat thrice. We could not open the gate. We were all anxious,” he said.
Another passenger said evacuation was difficult because of the cramped space between the compartments. The passenger told ANI that an alternative train from Sairang was expected to take passengers onward.
The derailment also affected two other services. Train No. 12067, the Guwahati-Jorhat Town Jan Shatabdi Express, was controlled at Panbari, while Train No. 15627, the Coimbatore-Silchar Express, was controlled at Panikhaiti.
NFR said an alternative train was being arranged from Guwahati to take passengers to their destinations. Senior railway officials, including the general manager, reached the site to oversee restoration work. The railway also said an investigation would be conducted to determine the cause of the derailment.
