Track restoration work in full swing

Cuttack: Fresh sleepers were laid as part of the restoration work near Nergundi station, where a goods train had derailed this morning affecting traffic on the route. As many as 16 wagons of the train jumped off the track due to a suspected technical glitch.

According to ECoR sources, while the Up Line is expected to become functional by late evening, the Down Line will be fit for movement of trains by tomorrow afternoon. However, the restoration work will not affect train traffic much as an alternative line via Barang-Naraj-Kapilas Road bypassing Cuttack is currently being used.

Earlier, a crane was used to lift the derailed wagons after manually unloading the bags of fertilisers these were carrying. With the festive season, it was difficult to get labour for the work, the sources added.

The fertiliser-laden goods train was headed to Haibargaon (HBN) of North Frontier Railways from the Gangavaram Port in Visakhapatnam when the mishap took place. The derailment led to cancellation of 58407 Bhadrak-Bhubaneswar Passenger, 58411 Bhubaneswar-Berhampur Passenger and 58412 Berhampur-Bhubaneswar Passenger, 58424 and 58436 Cuttack-Bhadrak Passenger, 58423 and 58435 Bhadrak-Cuttack Passenger. A few trains were diverted via Naraj and Barang/Kapilas Road.

The Railways had also arranged buses for Rajdhani Express Passengers boarding at Cuttack from where they taken to Kapila Road.