Two coaches derail near Rangapani railway station | WATCH

New Delhi: In a troubling development, a goods train derailed in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district on Wednesday. The incident occurred near Rangapani railway station, where two of the train's wagons went off the tracks. Fortunately, there have been no reports of injuries from the accident. This derailment follows a similar tragic event on June 17, when a freight train collided with the Kanchanjunga Express on the same route, resulting in the deaths of nine people. The recurrence of such accidents in the region has drawn significant concern from local officials.

A freight train derailed at #WestBengal’s Rangapani in Darjeeling district. Two coaches of the goods train derailed, none injured. Courtesy Abir Ghoshal.pic.twitter.com/ZESBE64rLD

— Rajendra B. Aklekar (@rajtoday) July 31, 2024

What West Bengal CM said? 

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her alarm over the recent series of rail accidents. On social media platform X, she commented, "Another rail accident today, in the same Phansidewa/ Rangapani area in North Bengal, where there was a most tragic accident just six weeks back! We are very concerned about what is happening!! (sic)."

Similar incident on July 21

The recent derailment in Darjeeling is part of a troubling pattern. On July 21, a goods train derailed in Bengal's Ranaghat. Sealdah Eastern Railway DRM Deepak Nigam reported that the rear guard bogie of the train derailed during internal shunting operations in the goods yard.

In Odisha, on July 26, two wagons of a goods train derailed near Bhubaneswar railway station around 8:30 am. Officials confirmed that there were no injuries as the derailment occurred on the down line, leaving the middle and up lines unaffected. Visuals from the accident site showed Railway teams actively engaged in restoration efforts.

Sambalpur train derailment

Earlier in May, another derailment occurred near Kantabanji station in the Sambalpur Division of East Coast Railway (ECoR). On May 31, four wagons of a goods train went off the tracks, disrupting train movement on both tracks. Fortunately, no injuries were reported, and senior railway officials were promptly dispatched to investigate the incident.