Eight wagons of the freight rake, which was en route to Vijayawada, veered off the tracks on the main line. The incident blocked the arterial route, throwing long-distance and commuter services into disarray across the South Central Railway (SCR) and East Coast Railway zones.
Commuters faced immense hardship as multiple premier and express services were detained at various stations en route. The Visakhapatnam-Secunderabad Vande Bharat Express, which arrived at Platform 2 of Kovvur station at approximately 9:15 AM, was held up indefinitely.
Other prominent services caught in the bottleneck included the Yelahanka Superfast Express, detained at Tuni, the Janmabhoomi Express halted at Narsipatnam Road, and the Visakhapatnam-Krishnarajapuram Uday Express stranded at Annavaram. Services such as the Simhadri Express bound for Vijayawada experienced cascading delays, while authorities regulated traffic by holding trains back at major junctions including Rajahmundry and Nidadavole.
Restoration works are in full swing following the derailment of a goods train at Kovvuru Railway Station in the Vijayawada Division of South Coast Railway on Friday, according to an official release here.
Under the guidance of South Coast Railway General Manager Sandeep Mathur, restoration operations began immediately with the deployment of an Accident Relief Train and railway officials. The works are being carried out on a war footing, railway authorities said.
Train services on the down line resumed at 9.28 am, while restoration of up-line services was expected shortly.
As a result of the disruption, Train No. 67285, Rajahmundry–Visakhapatnam Passenger, and Train No. 67286, Visakhapatnam–Rajahmundry Passenger, scheduled for September 11, were cancelled.
Passenger help desks have been set up at several stations, including Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Vijayawada, Eluru and Tadepalligudem, to provide information and assistance regarding train services.
