Close Shave as Three Coaches of Secunderabad-Shalimar Express Derail Near Kolkata | Kolkata News – Times of India

KOLKATA: More than 1,200 passengers had a close shave when three coaches of the 22850 Secunderabad-Shalimar Weekly Express derailed near Nalpur station, 41 km from Kolkata, early on Saturday. The superfast train was travelling at around 15 kmph and was changing tracks when two AC coaches and a parcel van derailed at 5.31am. Luckily, none was injured.
Relief and medical trains from Santragachhi and Kharagpur were immediately rushed to the spot. “The stranded passengers were ferried by 10 buses and an EMU train from Nalpur to Shalimar,” said South-Eastern Railway CPRO Omprakash Charan.
The derailment held up several long-distance trains and EMU locals. The Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat and Howrah-Ranchi Vande Bharat were delayed by at least four hours. The tracks were finally cleared by 6 pm, after which normal services resumed.
A probe by a five-member committee of senior railways officials has been initiated. Railway sources did not rule out error in points — movable sections of track that change the route a train takes. “Points can fail due to weather conditions, debris on the track and a failed drive mechanism. It may even be set incorrectly,” said a source. The condition of the rake and bogies will also be looked into.
“While the engine and rest of the coaches stayed on the down track, the parcel van and two coaches landed outside. The reason can be ascertained only after an inquiry, which has been ordered,” said K R Chaudhury, divisional railway manager, Kharagpur.
Binoy Das, who was on one of the derailed coaches, said the RPF reached the spot very fast. “The medical team also arrived in an hour and asked after everyone,” he said.
The derailment comes a day after a Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) report held several railway personnel responsible for the June 17 Kanchanjungha Express-freight train crash near Jalpaiguri that claimed 10 lives and left 43 injured.