A landslide near Parassala railway station in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district derailed the locomotive of the Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express early on Thursday, disrupting services on the Neyyattinkara–Parassala section before railway personnel restored the track within hours. The Southern Railway said all passengers and railway staff were safe.
The incident occurred at 2.19 am after Train No. 22619 Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express was stopped near Parassala following the landslide. The locomotive was found to have derailed after the train halted at the location, according to the railway authority.
A relief locomotive was arranged to move the train, while an accident relief train carrying railway personnel and restoration materials was sent to the site. The derailed locomotive was re-railed and removed, after which track restoration work was completed.
Southern Railway said services in the Neyyattinkara–Parassala section resumed at 8.10 am after necessary safety inspections. The Kanniyakumari–Mangaluru Central Parasuram Express, which had been delayed following the incident, departed from Parassala and passed safely through the affected section, the railway said.
The disruption nevertheless led to cancellations and changes affecting several services. The Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express, which had begun its journey from Bilaspur on October 20, was earlier terminated at Neyyattinkara. The section between Neyyattinkara and Tirunelveli was partially cancelled, and buses were arranged to transport passengers to their destinations.
Six passenger services scheduled for Thursday were fully cancelled because of the restoration work near Parassala railway station. These included services linking Thiruvananthapuram North, Nagercoil Junction and Kollam Junction.
Two Amrit Bharat Express services also faced partial cancellations despite the restoration of train operations. Train No. 16121, running from Tambaram to Thiruvananthapuram Central, was short-terminated at Nagercoil Town. Train No. 16122, scheduled to leave Thiruvananthapuram Central for Tambaram at 10.40 am, instead originated from Nagercoil Town at 11.47 am. The service between Thiruvananthapuram Central and Nagercoil Town was partially cancelled.
The incident occurred during spells of heavy rain in the region. The India Meteorological Department had issued an orange alert for Thiruvananthapuram district on Wednesday, warning of very heavy rainfall, followed by a yellow alert for October 22 to October 25 for heavy rain. Railway services through the affected section resumed after inspections, while the announced service changes remained in place for the affected trains.
