Meghnagar/ Ratlam: Darshan Express, a superfast train from Hazrat Nizamuddin in Delhi to Miraj in Maharashtra, derailed between Panchpipaliya and Amargadh railway stations in Jhabua district on Saturday morning. No casualties or injuries were reported, railway officials said.
Meanwhile, five trains passing through Dahod were cancelled and four others were rescheduled to expedite the restoration of traffic on the downline from Delhi to Pune.
According to sources, the accident happened at around 6.45 am on Saturday after the train hit a boulder that had fallen on the tracks following heavy rain on the Ratlam-Godhra division of the Western Railways.
FP Photo
Railway services on the Delhi-Pune line were disrupted for a while but the Railway officials said that services were restored at around 11.15 am after the accident response teams cleared the boulder.
“The accident happened due to heavy rain that left a boulder on the track. Senior railway officials reached the spot to expedite the restoration process. The affected down route (Delhi-Pune) has also been restored and railway traffic resumed,” the Ratlam divisional railway manager said in a statement.
The Railways also set up helpline desks at Ratlam in MP and Dahod, Surat, Vadodara and Vapi in Gujarat. The affected train departed from the spot at around 9.20 am.
“Further restoration work in the infringed UP line is in progress under the supervision of senior railway officials. Refreshments were given to passengers. Railway officials also board the train ensuring the distribution of refreshments. Further catering arrangements are also kept at Vadodara station,” the statement added.
Five trains were cancelled and four were ‘short-terminated’ between Amargadh and Panchpipaliya due to the derailment. Among the cancelled trains were the Dahod Anand Memu, Ratlam Dahod Memu, Ratlam Ujjain train, Dahod Ratlam Jhansi train and Dahod Ratlam Memu.
The ‘short-terminated’ trains include Ratlam Dahod Jhansi at Bamnia on Saturday as well as Kota-Vadodara-Jhansi at Ratlam. The Bhopal-Dahod-Jhansi on Sunday will terminate at Nagda and the Dahod-Bhopal on Sunday will be ‘short-originated’ at Nagda and cancelled between Dahod and Nagda.
