Southern Railway cancels, reschedules trains after accident

CHENNAI: Southern Railway Wednesday cancelled and rescheduled trains from here following a collision of two trains near Arakkonam in Tamil Nadu's Vellore district which left about 10 people dead, an official said.

The Chennai Beach-Vellore electric multiple unit (EMU) train hit the Arakkonam-Katpadi passenger train, waiting for a signal near the Chitheri station around 9.30 p.m.Tuesday

Five bogies of the stationary train and three of the EMU were derailed near Arakkonam, about 85 km from here.

"We have cancelled Kovai Express, Duranto Express, both to Coimbatore, and the Brindavan Express to Bangalore. The matching return trains are also cancelled. Similarly Tirupathur-Yelagiri Express and Yeracaud Express between Erode-Chennai has been cancelled," M. Bhoopathy, public relations officer of Southern Railway told IANS.

Normal services are expected to resume by 2 p.m.

Ahmedabad bound Navajeevan Express will leave Chennai at 5.30 p.m. instead of 9.30 a.m. and the West Coast Express has been rescheduled at 5 p.m. instead of its usual departure at 11.30 a.m., Bhoopathy said.

About 86 people have been injured, he said.

An official of the Government General Hospital here told IANS: "Thirty-six injured people (26 male and 10 female) have been admitted at the hospital Tuesday night. None of them are in serious condition though many have suffered bone fractures."

"Driver of the EMU train Rajkumar is also admitted here. His blood samples have been collected to find out whether he was under the influence of liquor," the official added.