Goa-bound Rajdhani Express derails inside tunnel in Maharashtra; all passengers safe, rail traffic restored

Mumbai, June 26

The Goa-bound Rajdhani Express train from Hazrat Nizamuddin, with 309 passengers on board, derailed inside a tunnel in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra early on Saturday, but nobody was injured in the incident, officials said.

The front wheel of the locomotive of the superfast special train — 02414 — that was going to Madgaon in Goa, derailed around 4.15 am in Karbude tunnel, approximately 325 km from Mumbai, they said.

The derailment led to disruption of railway traffic on the route, but it was restored within a few hours, the officials said.

A boulder had fallen on the tracks, which led to the derailment, a spokesperson of the Konkan Railway, which operates the route, said.

“The front wheel of the locomotive of the Rajdhani superfast train derailed in Karbude tunnel located between Ukshi and Bhoke stations in Ratnagiri region of the Konkan Railway,” the official said.

A rail maintenance vehicle (RMV) and an accident relief medical van (ARMV) with re-railing equipment were rushed to the spot for the restoration work, he said.

“As many as 309 passengers were traveling in the train,” the Konkan Railway said in a statement.

The restoration work of the derailed train was completed and the track fit certificate was issued at 8.18 am, it said, adding that the express train began its journey towards Madgaon at 9.14 am.

“Traffic on the Konkan Railway route was restored at 10.27 am,” the statement added.

The Konkan Railway operates 756 km-long route between Roha near Mumbai and Thokur near Mangalore.  This route, which is spread across three states — Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka — is one of the challenging terrains with many rivers, gorges and mountains. PTI