Bengaluru-Kamakhya Superfast Express derailment: Special relief train carries stranded passengers

Cuttack: The passengers, who were stranded following the derailment of the Bengaluru-Kamakhya Superfast Express near the passenger halt of Manguli in Choudwar area of Odisha’s Cuttack district today, resumed their journey to their respective destinations by a special relief train.

According to ECoR Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Ashoka Kumar Mishra, the special relief train, which had departed Bhubaneswar at 1435hrs, reached the accident site at 1610hrs, following which the stranded passengers boarded the train.

Later, health check-ups of the passengers by a team of doctors including that of the NDRF team were also done. Besides, a group of locals along with some NGOs came forward to help the passengers and distributed snacks, food and water to them.

This apart, all necessary arrangement were also made for the smooth travel of each and every passenger through the special relief train, which left the accident site for Kamakhya at 5 PM.

It is to be noted here that at least 11 AC bogies of Bengaluru-Kamakhya Superfast Express train derailed near Choudwar at around 11.54 AM. While seven people were injured, one passenger died due to the mishap.

Meanwhile, the restoration efforts by the NDRF team, firefighters, Police, locals along with other concerned agencies of the district administration are underway to clear the down-link so that the movement of trains becomes normal on the route.

The General Manager (GM), East Coast Railway and Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Khurda Road along with other senior railway officials also have reached the spot and are reviewing the situation. A total of five trains traveling on the same route were diverted. They are running in diverted route via Barang-Nergundi-Kapilas Road instead of Barang-Cuttack-Nergundi.

The ECoR CPRO said that a high-level team will investigate to find out the cause of the derailment of the Bengaluru-Kamakhya Superfast Express.

Helpline Numbers for Passenger Assistance:

Bhubaneswar: 7205149591, 8455885999
Cuttack: 8991124238
Khurda Road: 06742492245
Bhubaneswar: 8114382371
Bhadrak: 9437443469
Palasa: 9237105480
Jajpur Keonjhar Road: 9124639558
Diversion of Train Services:

To ensure minimal disruption to railway operations, the following down trains from Bhubaneswar towards Bhadrak will be diverted via Barang-Nergundi-Kapilas Road instead of the usual Cuttack-Kendrapara Road-Nergundi route:

12822 Puri-Howrah Dhauli Express
12875 Puri-Anand Vihar Neelachal Express
22606 Tirunelveli-Purulia Express
12704 Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Express
12513 Secunderabad-Silchar Express