Four Injured As Kolkata-Sairang Express Derails In Assam, Train Services Resume

Four passengers suffered minor injuries after the locomotive and five coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express derailed near Digaru railway station in Assam on Wednesday morning, with railway authorities subsequently restoring train operations on both main lines.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said the injured passengers were receiving medical attention and had been taken to Sonapur Primary Health Centre. The development came after the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) initially reported that all passengers were safe and there were no injuries.

The accident occurred around 6.54 am when the train, travelling from Kolkata to Sairang near Mizoram's Aizawl, was entering Digaru station in Kamrup (Metropolitan) district.

According to the NFR's initial explanation, the loco pilot gave precedence to another train while the express was being received at the station but could not control its speed, resulting in the derailment.

Meanwhile, a video purportedly showing the loco pilot claiming that the signal was red and the emergency braking system was not working has surfaced on social media. However, the footage could not be independently verified, and brake failure has not been established as the cause of the accident.

The Railways arranged an alternative train to transport stranded passengers to their destinations. A special train departed Digaru around 11.40 am, while passengers were also provided with food and drinking water.

The derailment disrupted several train services in the region, including the Alipurduar-Mariani Intercity Express and Guwahati-Haibargaon DMU service.

The NFR subsequently announced that normal train operations had resumed on both the Up and Down main lines at Digaru. However, rerailing work involving the locomotive and five derailed coaches was still underway.

NFR General Manager Vivek Khare and other senior officials had proceeded to the accident site to oversee restoration and response operations.