Another derailment: Duronto off track
Work in progress for the restoration of railway tracks after Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express derailed near Asangaon in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Tuesday. No casualties or injuries were reported, officials said.
The derailment of nine coaches of the NagpurMumbai Duronto Express in the early hours of Tuesday may have been caused due to the construction work being conducted on the third line. One passenger was reportedly injured in the derailment. This is the second derailment in the four days in Mumbai.
The incident took place between Asangaon and Vasind stations of Central Railway (CR). Around five NDRF teams were sent to the spot, but the inaccessibility of the trains made it difficult for the rescuers to reach the spot. The NDRF teams managed to reach the spot around two hours after the derailment.
Contractor and workers of the CR’s third line — that is Pune-Lonavala — were told to work on Monday. They had pointed out that mud from the ghat section was falling on to the tracks, said sources. An official said, “We have been asking the Railways to include the PuneLonavala section as a part of the suburban section and work for the same was underway in full swing.” He added, “Some of the officials were told about the mud sliding on to the track, but no one thought it would eventually lead to a landslide.”
Meanwhile, the CR said that a mudslide due to heavy rains hit the Duranto express and derailed its nine coaches and locomotive at 6.40 am.
Chief public relations officer Sunil Udasi said, “As of now we have ascertained that there were heavy rains in the section and the mud from the ghats fell on to the track at the time the Duranto express was passing.”