Bhabua/New Delhi:
Twenty-six coal-laden wagons of a goods train derailed near Bhabua Railway Station in Bihar's Kaimur district apparently due to a technical fault in the rail line, disrupting the movement of about 90 trains on the busy Howrah-New Delhi route.
The goods train derailed in Gaya-Mughalsarai section of the East Central Railway last night.
"Prime facie, it seems there was a technical fault in the rail line. But the real cause of the derailment would be ascertained after an inquiry," Amitabh Prabhakar, spokesperson of East Central Railway, said.
The goods train was coming from Dhanbad to Mughalsarai junction.
The derailment has caused damage to tracks and disrupted regular train services in the grand cord.
"We are diverting all passenger trains to different routes as all the three lines between Gaya and Mughalsarai are blocked due to the derailment," said Mr Prabhakar, adding "the main focus now is on restoring the line."
Asked how soon the train service on the line will be restored, he said it will take about 48 hours to restore the line completely.
"The movement of goods train has been suspended on the affected route and the priority is to divert the passenger trains," he said.
90 trains including Howrah Rajdhani, Bhubaneswar Rajdhani, Sealdah Rajdhani and Jammu Tawi Mail are being diverted to Gaya-Patna route. Sealdah-New Delhi Duronto Express has been diverted towards Gomo-Barka-Chunar route while Howrah-Kalka Mail has been diverted to Jhaja-Patna-Mughalsarai route.