At least 13 trains were cancelled after a portion of railway tracks was blown up by the members of the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit in Jharkhand's West Singbhum district on Thursday night. The damage to the railway track led to the disruption of train services on the Howrah-Mumbai route for several hours, PTI reported.
Apart from the cancellation of more than a dozen trains, Samarsata Express was diverted on a different route due to the incident. The list of cancelled trains included Tata-Itwari Express and nine MEMU (mainline electric multiple unit) passenger trains.
The location of the incident was 150 km away from the state capital Ranchi. The blast on the railway track led to a delay in the operation of trains that were scheduled to pass from the Chakradharpur division of the South Eastern Railway between Mahadevsal and Posoita stations.
"Security has been tightened in the locality. The repair work on the railway tracks has been started from early morning," West Singhbhum Superintendent of Police Ashutosh Sekhar told PTI, adding that Maoists also put up banners and posters in the area.
The train operations in the region were restored around 9 am on Friday, Chakradharpur Division Assistant Commercial Manager Vinit Kumar told PTI.
“Around 10:08 pm on Thursday, an explosion occurred between Mahadevsal and Posoita stations, which blew up the third line of the section. No casualty has been reported. The movement of trains was controlled and the convenience of the passengers was ensured,” a railway communiqué said.
The blast damaged up to three metres of the railway track. Help desks were set up immediately at Rourkela, Tatanagar, Chakradharpur, and Jharsuguda stations after the blast. “Due to this incident, Samarsata Express has been diverted and 13 trains have been cancelled,” the release said.
The blast on the railway track was done during the ‘protest week’ that has been observed by the banned outfit from December 16. The group has also called for a Bharat Bandh on Friday.
