Chennai-bound New Jalpaiguri Central Express was stranded between Soro and Markona stations in Odisha’s Balasore district for nearly four hours on Saturday after the engine hit an object on the tracks and could not move any further, railway sources said.
In a bulletin, the South Eastern Railway (SER) said the train remained stranded between Soro and Markona stations from 2.45 PM to 6.23 PM.
The SER said the train’s engine hit an object lying on the tracks, causing it to become immobile. “An alternative loco was arranged and the train departed at 6.23 PM,” it said. Following the incident, at least four trains were regulated.
“While the 12245 Howrah-SMVT Bengaluru Express was halted between Soro-Markona, the 68051 Baleshwar-Bhadrak MEMU remained at Soro,” the SER said.
Similarly, 18045 Shalimar-Hyderabad East Coast Express was halted at Baleshwar and 20889 Howrah-Tirupati Express was stopped at Rupsa.
This derailment in Balasore comes just over a year after one of India’s deadliest train tragedies, where 296 people lost their lives and more than 1,200 were injured in a horrific triple train collision in the district. The devastating accident on June 2, 2023, unfolded when the Coromandel Express rammed into a stationary freight train near Bahanaga Bazar station.
The impact caused several coaches to derail and spill onto adjacent tracks, where they were struck by the oncoming Yeshwantpur-Howrah Express. Notably, Bahanaga Bazar station is located just 20 km from Sabira railway station, where the New Jalpaiguri-Chennai Express derailed on Saturday.