Another jolt to Railways, four wagons of goods train derail in UP

Another jolt to Railways, four wagons of goods train derail near Hardattpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh

Four wagons of a goods train were derailed near Hardattpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh today.

By: FE Online | New Delhi | Updated: September 2, 2017

Four wagons of a goods train were derailed near Hardattpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh today. (ANI)

Four wagons of a goods train were derailed near Hardattpur railway station in Uttar Pradesh today, according to ANI. The incident took place at around 6:00 pm in the Allahabad-Manduadih route. No casualties have been reported so far. The news agency reported that the wagons were fully loaded. Nine trains have been affected due to the derailment. The train was bounded from Ballia to Ghazipur. Divisional Rail Manager (DRM) S.K. Jha and other railway officials took the stock of the situation, as per ANI.

Earlier, on August 29, the engine and nine coaches of the Nagpur-Mumbai Duronto Express derailed between Vasind and Asangaon stations in Maharashtra, following a landslide. Officials had said no casualties were reported in the accident that occurred at 6.36 am. Anil Saxena, Railways spokesperson had said, “Prima Facie cause (of the derailment) is a sudden landslide because of the heavy rain. On getting the information, senior officials immediately rushed to the spot,” as per PTI.

Taking “full moral responsibility” for the recent train accidents, Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu on August 23 had offered to resign in a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “I met the Hon’ble Prime Minister @narendramodi taking full moral responsibility,” Prabhu said in a tweet. The prime minister, he added, had asked him to wait, as per PTI.

A committee, set up by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu, had recommended that divisional railway managers (DRMs) be given more power to take decisions, particularly in emergencies. The committee came out with the report after taking a stock of the series of derailments this month. ‘Making Divisions as Strategic Business Units’, the committee, was constituted in June to finalise a process by which more financial and executive powers are delegated to DRMs so they are able to handle day-to-day operations more effectively, as per PTI.