Barbil (Odisha): Rail traffic on a key mineral corridor in northern Odisha was severely disrupted on Monday after two wagons of a coal-laden goods train derailed near Murga Mahadev station, forcing multiple passenger services—including the Vande Bharat Express—to halt for hours and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
According to railway sources, the derailment occurred around 12:20 pm, blocking the track and bringing train movement to a standstill. The Berhampur–Tatanagar Vande Bharat Express was detained at Bansapani station, while the Barbil–Puri Intercity Express was halted at Deojhar station. Similarly, the Puri–Badabil Intercity Express remained stranded at Paryanpur.
Passengers across the affected trains faced significant inconvenience as services remained suspended for over four hours, with little clarity initially on restoration timelines.
Railway authorities launched restoration work on a war footing, deploying teams and equipment to lift the derailed wagons and repair the damaged track. As part of contingency measures, special buses were arranged to ferry stranded passengers of the Vande Bharat Express towards Tatanagar.
However, confusion prevailed on the ground. The station manager at Bansapani reportedly said that the train was stopped following instructions from higher authorities, without having detailed information about the situation. Amid the uncertainty, reports indicated that the Tatanagar–Berhampur Vande Bharat Express may have been cancelled, further fuelling passenger dissatisfaction.
