Eight fertiliser wagons derail near Kovvuru; trains held up on Vijayawada-Visakhapatnam route
Kovvuru: Rail traffic on the Vijayawada–Visakhapatnam section was disrupted on Friday after eight wagons of a goods train carrying fertiliser derailed near Kovvuru railway station in Andhra Pradesh.
The freight train was bound for Vijayawada. The wagons came off the tracks on the main line, blocking an arterial coastal route used by both long-distance and commuter services. Trains were detained at stations along the section through the morning.
The Visakhapatnam–Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express, which had arrived at Platform 2 of Kovvuru station at about 9.15 a.m., was detained. The Yelahanka Superfast Express was held at Tuni, the Janmabhoomi Express at Narsipatnam Road, and the Visakhapatnam–Krishnarajapuram Uday Express at Annavaram. The Simhadri Express, bound for Vijayawada, and several other trains were also delayed. Movement was regulated by holding services at major junctions, including Rajahmundry and Nidadavole.
No injuries were reported.
Restoration work began immediately under the guidance of South Coast Railway General Manager Sandeep Mathur, with an Accident Relief Train and railway officials pressed into service, an official release said. An Accident Relief Train is a specialised unit equipped with cranes and other heavy equipment used to clear tracks and restore services after accidents.
Services on one of the two lines resumed at 9.28 a.m., and officials said the second line was expected to be restored shortly. A double-line section has two parallel tracks, and clearing one while work continues on the other allows limited services to run.
Two passenger trains scheduled for Friday were cancelled: Train No. 67285 Rajahmundry–Visakhapatnam Passenger and Train No. 67286 Visakhapatnam–Rajahmundry Passenger.
The affected section forms part of the Howrah–Chennai trunk route and is among the busier corridors in the country, carrying a heavy mix of passenger and freight traffic. It links the port city of Visakhapatnam and the industrial belt of coastal Andhra Pradesh with Vijayawada and the interior. Long-distance services on the line connect Visakhapatnam with Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, among other destinations. Because most services between the two cities use this route, a blockage tends to have knock-on effects on schedules across the region.
Fertiliser is a key input for the rice-growing districts of coastal Andhra Pradesh, and goods rakes carrying it move regularly along this line.
South Coast Railway has set up passenger help desks at several stations to provide information and assistance. Passengers may contact the help desks at:
- Vizianagaram: 8712641260, 08922-21202
- Visakhapatnam: 0891-2746330, 0891-2744619, 7780787054, 8712641255
- Duvvada: 7780787162, 8712641256
- Anakapalle: 7569305669
- Tuni: 7815909479
- Samalkot Junction: 7382629990
- Rajahmundry: 8125986801
- Tadepalligudem: 7815909354
- Eluru: 7569305268
- Vijayawada: 0866-2571244
- Tenali Junction: 7815909463
- Ongole: 7815909489
- Nellore: 0861-2345863
Passengers have been advised to check the running status of their trains before travelling and to use the help desks for updates. Those holding tickets for the two cancelled services are entitled to refunds under railway rules. The railways said further details on the restoration of the second line would be shared once work was completed.
