Goods train wagon ploughs through wall, enters slum area; none injured
Bhubaneswar/Rourkela: In an early morning incident that could have turned into a major tragedy, three wagons of a freight train derailed, crashed through a boundary wall and fell on a road at Malgodown basti near Basanti Colony in Rourkela on Wednesday, damaging a parked auto-rickshaw and rickshaw. Luckily, no one was injured.
“We were asleep when we heard a loud crash. We ran outside and saw the train wagon smashing through the wall. It was a very scary moment,” said Lalita Jena, a slum resident.
The incident took place around 6.30 am when the train was being reversed towards the railway stockyard for loading. “The train driver, while placing the freight train at the goods shed line, could not control it, and a wagon broke the wall at the dead end of the track and entered the road,” said Om Prakash Charan, chief public relations officer, South Eastern Railway (SER). He said the incident took place on the goods shed line and not on the mainline.
The accident disrupted vehicular movement at Malgodown level crossing and Basanti Colony for about five hours. Railway Protection Force personnel and railway officials rushed to the scene, and employed gas cutters and other machinery to remove the derailed wagons. “Our staff immediately reached the spot and restored the track. No train services were affected,” said Charan.
Durga Sahu, whose father’s auto-rickshaw was damaged in the incident, filed an FIR with Govt Railway Police (GRP). “We demand full compensation and action against those responsible,” Sahu said.
“Had the wagons entered the slum, it would have damaged houses, vehicles, and crushed people. Fortunately, no vehicle or people were passing on the road at the time,” said Babu Behera, a passer-by.
AK Choudhury, senior divisional commercial manager, SER, Chakdradharpur, said an enquiry has been launched into the matter. “Whoever is found guilty, stringent action will be taken against him,” he said.
“We were asleep when we heard a loud crash. We ran outside and saw the train wagon smashing through the wall. It was a very scary moment,” said Lalita Jena, a slum resident.
The incident took place around 6.30 am when the train was being reversed towards the railway stockyard for loading. “The train driver, while placing the freight train at the goods shed line, could not control it, and a wagon broke the wall at the dead end of the track and entered the road,” said Om Prakash Charan, chief public relations officer, South Eastern Railway (SER). He said the incident took place on the goods shed line and not on the mainline.
The accident disrupted vehicular movement at Malgodown level crossing and Basanti Colony for about five hours. Railway Protection Force personnel and railway officials rushed to the scene, and employed gas cutters and other machinery to remove the derailed wagons. “Our staff immediately reached the spot and restored the track. No train services were affected,” said Charan.
Durga Sahu, whose father’s auto-rickshaw was damaged in the incident, filed an FIR with Govt Railway Police (GRP). “We demand full compensation and action against those responsible,” Sahu said.
“Had the wagons entered the slum, it would have damaged houses, vehicles, and crushed people. Fortunately, no vehicle or people were passing on the road at the time,” said Babu Behera, a passer-by.
AK Choudhury, senior divisional commercial manager, SER, Chakdradharpur, said an enquiry has been launched into the matter. “Whoever is found guilty, stringent action will be taken against him,” he said.
