Title - Passengers stranded as train derails

HAFLONG, May 26 – Thousands of passengers in the trains Dn Cachar Express, Dn Agartala Express and Up Cachar express were stranded for several hours at Lower Haflong and Jatinga stations following an accident of a Lumding-bound empty goods train near Bagetar railway station in Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section of NF Railway on Saturday.
The accident occurred at about 10:45 pm of Saturday following which the train communication was totally disrupted for several hours causing immense inconvenience to the travelling public.

Meanwhile, railway officials from Lumding and Badarpur, including relief trains rushed to the spot for restoration of rail communication. As many as two cranes from Lumding and Badarpur were engaged for the restoration work.

The stranded passengers at Lower Haflong station alleged that the accident happened due to the utter negligence on the part of the railway authority that cares least for safety in this region. The region has always been neglected by the government for the reasons best known to them.

It is to be mentioned here that the century-old metre gauge Lumding-Badarpur Hill Section has been getting a stepmotherly treatment from the railway authority that is also going at a snail’s pace while constructing the new broad gauge line in this hill section.

RK Goel, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM), Lumding talking to this correspondent disclosed that during the last two years the number of accidents in this metre gauge hill section has reduced remarkably. The DRM held nature responsible for such accidents.

After 14 hours of continuous restoration work, the rail communication was restored at about 12 noon today and all the trains left for their destinations.