Ludhiana: 3 trains cancelled, over 50 diverted after Sirhind crash
Freight train accident near Sirhind caused cancellation of 3 trains, diversion of 51 others via Ludhiana Junction; 8 coaches derailed, 2 engines hit.
At least three trains were cancelled and 51 others diverted because of the freight train accident near Sirhind on Sunday. In total, over 59 trains that go via the Ludhiana Junction station were affected.
Three short-distance trains between Jalandhar and Ambala Cantt (Ambala Cantt - Jalandhar City DEMU and two Ludhiana - Ambala Cantt Memu Express Special trains) were cancelled and five were rescheduled, including Jammu Tawi-Varanasi Express, Firozpur Cantt-Dhanbad Express, Amritsar-New Delhi Express, Amritsar-New Delhi Express and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi Express.
A total of 51 trains were diverted via the Ludhiana-Dhuri-Jakhal, Sahnewal-Chandigarh- Ambala Cantt and Rajpura-Dhuri-Ludhiana lines, including Amrapali Express between Amritsar and Katihar, Vande Bharat Express between Amritsar - Delhi and Katra -Delhi, Hirakud SF Express between Amritsar and Vishakhapatnam and the Nagpur–Amritsar AC SF Express.
On Sunday morning, eight coaches and two engines of a goods train derailed after hitting another locomotive on the Dedicated Freight Control Corridor (DFCC) section of the Indian Railways near Sirhind of Fatehgarh Sahib district.
The collision took place around 4 am when a goods train loaded with coal was stationed at New Sirhind Railway Station of the DFCC and another train carrying coal rammed into it from behind.
Due to this, the Kolkata-Amritsar Summer Special Express was delayed and consequently diverted via the Rajpura-Dhuri-Ludhiana rail route after detaching a seating-cum-luggage rake and general coach each from the passenger train.
In the accident, loco pilot Vikas Kumar, 37, and his assistant Himanshu Kumar, 31, both natives of Saharanpur district, received serious injuries and were undergoing treatment at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala, officials said.
At least three passengers of the summer special also received minor injuries and were given first-aid at a government facility in Fatehgarh Sahib and were discharged.
Ambala division senior divisional commercial manager (DCM) Naveen Kumar, who was camping at the accident site, said that the focus of railways on restoring the track at the earliest and train operations were likely to resume by late at night.
