Three coaches of a local train derailed at Kharkopar station on Tuesday morning on the Central Railway’s Uran line, throwing life out of gear for the entire day. However, no casualty was reported in the incident that led to the suspension of rail traffic on the Belapur-Seawoods-Kharkopar suburban corridor for nearly 11 hours. Nearly 100 passengers were travelling by the affected train.
The Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said three coaches from the motorman’s end derailed at around 8.45am when the train was about to reach Kharkopar station, 30km from Mumbai.
The traffic on the Belapur-Kharkopar-Nerul section was restored on Tuesday night after repairs and the first local was operated at around 7.45 pm. Sutar said about a 150mt track was damaged due to derailment, though the overhead wires remained intact.
He said three accident relief trains from Panvel, Kurla and Kalyan were pressed into service to restore the traffic. About 200 labourers including over a dozen senior officer officers were at the site. Sutar said an inquiry will be ordered to find out the exact cause of the accident.
According to railway sources, though the prima facie cause of the accident is not yet clear it could be due to a fault in the track or a defect in the train.
The suburban train derailed around 200mt before Kharkopar station. Two of the three coaches were dragged away close to the opposite direction, while one coach was near the track.
Notably, the Belapur-Kharkopar-Nerul section is the newest corridor on the Central Railway’s suburban network. It is part of the much-delayed Belapur-Seawood-Uran railway line that will provide suburban connectivity to part of Raigad district.
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