In a devastating incident, two people lost their lives and 22 others were injured when 18 coaches of the Howrah-Mumbai Mail derailed near Potobeda village in South Eastern Railways’s Chakradharpur division on Tuesday morning. The derailment occurred in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district, severely impacting rail services in the region.
Efforts are currently underway to restore the affected railway tracks, with train movements remaining disrupted for a second consecutive day. According to Aditya Kumar Choudhary, Senior Divisional Commercial Manager (DCM) of Chakradharpur, “All the coaches and wagons have been removed from the track… We are trying to fast-track the restoration of one of the three lines. It should be functional today.”
The South Eastern Railway has announced that the bi-directional third line is tentatively expected to be operational by Wednesday. Despite these efforts, seven trains have been cancelled, including:
- 08163/08164 Chakradharpur-Rourkela-Chakradharpur Special
- 12768 Santragachi-Nanded Express
- 08602 Hatia-Tatanagar Special
- 08195 Tatanagar-Hatia Special
- 18190 Ernakulam-Tatanagar Express
- 18114 Bilaspur-Tatanagar Express
- 12872 Titlagarh-Howrah Express
In addition to the cancellations, several trains have been short-terminated, and approximately 35 trains were either diverted or cancelled on Tuesday.
The accident has drawn criticism from opposition parties, including the Congress, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), who have called out Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw over safety concerns and the need for improved passenger safety measures.
In response to the tragedy, the railways have announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹10 lakh each to the families of the deceased passengers, P Bikash and Ajit Kumar Samal, both from Odisha’s Rourkela. Additionally, ₹1 lakh each has been given to the eight individuals who suffered minor injuries.
Sources By Agencies