The train derailed after striking a boulder; No casualties were reported

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Sabarmati Express Train Derailed: How it happened?Sabarmati Express Train Derailed: Investigation around the cause Sabarmati Train derailed in UP: The aftermath Helpline numbers issued by the Railway after the Sabarmati Express Train Derailed Also Read

On Saturday, August 17, 2024, The Sabarmati Express was traveling from Varanasi Junction and Ahmedabad, when it struck a boulder and derailed between Kanpur and Bhimsen station in Uttar Pradesh at 2:30 am. According to initial reports from the driver, a boulder is believed to have struck the cattle guard (front portion) of the engine, causing significant damage and at least 20 coaches being derailed. The Railway Board has stated that “No injury to any person has been reported as of now,”.

Sabarmati Express Train Derailed: How it happened?

Half an hour after the 19168 Sabarmati Express departed from the Kanpur railway station, the passengers reported hearing a loud noise before the train started shaking and eventually came to a halt. An object placed on the track caused severe damage to the engine and caused the train to get derailed. Fortunately, the train was moving at an extremely slow speed when it hit the boulder. The police arrived on the spot almost an hour after the incident.

Sabarmati Express Train Derailed: Investigation around the cause

This derailment of Sabarmati Express has garnered suspicion as it appears that the engine hit an object placed on the track. According to the Railway Board officials, both the Intelligence Bureau and UP Police are investigating the possible involvement of miscreants or anti-social elements. An official stated, “We found a foreign material near the 16th coach of the train. Looking at the size of the damaged portion of cattle guard of the engine, it seems that the engine hit this foreign object and derailed,”. He further added, “We have protected the evidence. Both IB and UP Police are also working on it,”. The strangeness of this derailment was pointed out by an official, who highlighted that on the same track at 1:20 am, a Patna-Indore train crossed uninterrupted.

Sabarmati Train derailed in UP: The aftermath

According to Shashi Kant Tripathi, Chief Public Relation Officer (CPRO) of the North Central Railway Zone, under which the accident site falls, special buses were arranged to carry passengers from the accident site to the Kanpur Railway Station. Additionally, an eight coaches MEMU train departed from Kanpur to the accident site to carry passengers back to Kanpur so that further arrangements can be made to send them to their respective destinations. The derailment of the Sabarmati Express has caused many trains to be canceled and or diverted. So far, three trains have been canceled and eight were diverted due to the derailment. Officer Tripathi said that while the Delhi-Kanpur route remains unaffected after the derailment, the trains were being diverted on the Jhansi-Kanpur track route on the Etawah-Bhind-Gwalior line.