The coach of the Kerala Express Train (No: 12626), which was heading towards Thiruvananthapuram from New Delhi, derailed on Saturday. The incident took place around 8.10 pm when the train was entering Yerpedu railway station in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. However, after about seven hours, the train has resumed its journey.
One of the wheels of pantry car coach of the train broke off, causing the derailment. Following the incident, the pantry car coach from the train and then both the front and rear portion of the train were separately moved to Renigunta railway station in Andhra Pradesh.
The front and rear portions of the train were then joined and it resumed journey towards Thiruvananthapuram by 3.10 am on Sunday from Renigunta railway station.
According to a statement from South Central Railway, no injuries or casualties have been reported. “Soon after the incident, an accident relief train and a medical relief van were rushed to the spot and took up the restoration works. Senior officials had also rushed to the site to supervise the restoration works,” the statement said.
It also stated that the en route stations of the train — Erode, Palakkad, Salem and Ernakulam — have been alerted about the incidents and that the train has resumed operations, so that they can ensure food arrangements for the passengers onboard as the pantry car of the train was detached before it resumed service.
The officials have also informed that certain other trains have been rescheduled because of the derailment of Kerala Express. Tirupati Adilabad- Krishna Express (Train No: 17405), which was scheduled to depart at 5.50 am on Sunday, will be delayed by three hours. The train will now only start from Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) at 9 am on Sunday.
According to reports, this is the second train accident in South Central Railway over the past one week. On November 11, a Multi-Modal Transport System (MMTS) train collided with Kurnool City-Secunderabad Hundry Intercity Express at Kacheguda railway station in Hyderabad on Monday. Over a dozen passengers were injured, while the loco pilot of the MMTS train died on Saturday.
(With inputs from IANS)
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