Nagpur, Maharashtra : On Tuesday afternoon, two coaches of the 18029 Shalimar Express, travelling from Nagpur to Gondia, derailed near the Kalamna yard. Thankfully, due to the slow speed of the train, a major accident was avoided, and there were no injuries or casualties, as confirmed by railway officials.

The train had arrived at Nagpur station from Mumbai earlier in the day and resumed its journey toward Gondia after a short stop at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Itwari Railway Station. At around 2:30 pm, as the train passed through Kalamna yard, the parcel coach and sleeper coach S-2, located right behind the engine, derailed, leaving passengers in shock.

Suspected Technical Issue

An officer from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) mentioned that the exact reason for the derailment is still unclear, but it seems to be due to a technical fault. “It doesn't look like a deliberate act, but we will know more after the railway investigation. For now, our priority is to get everything back on track," the official said.

The derailment caused panic among passengers, but railway staff acted swiftly, and several top officials, including Divisional Manager Namita Tripathi, were on-site within no time to manage the situation. Relief operations began immediately, and the damaged coaches were removed to restore the tracks. By 6:35 pm, relief work was nearly complete, and officials said the train would resume its journey after attaching alternate coaches by 7:30 pm.

Train Services Affected

In response to the incident, several trains were either stopped or rerouted. These included Train No. 12994 Puri-Gandhidham Express, Train No. 12106 Vidarbha Superfast Express, and Train No. 20823 Puri-Ajmer Superfast Express. Train No. 11039 Kolhapur-Gondia Maharashtra Express was rerouted via Kalamna instead of Itwari.

Railway helplines were set up at various stations, including Itwari, Gondia, Dongargarh, and Rajnandgaon, to provide information to passengers’ families. Despite the chaos, officials reassured that no one was harmed due to the derailment, largely thanks to the train’s slow speed at the time.