A tragic rail accident occurred at the New Sirhind Railway Station on Sunday morning when a stationary goods train was rear-ended by another, leading to injuries among two loco pilots and several passengers, while narrowly averting a more severe catastrophe.

The collision caused the engine of one of the goods trains to derail and hit a passing passenger train, the Calcutta-Jammu Tawi special summer train (04681). The impact led to substantial damage to the bogies of both goods trains and the engine of the passenger train.

According to railway authorities, a goods train carrying coal to Ropar Thermal Plant was stationed at the New Sirhind Railway Station. Meanwhile, another goods train, also carrying coal, rammed into the stationary goods train causing the engine of one of them to flip over to another track and hit a passenger train.

The bogies of both the goods trains and the engine of the passenger train were badly damaged in the collision. The loco pilots were taken out after breaking the window panes.

The injured loco pilots, identified as 37-year-old Vikas Kumar, and 31-year-old Himanshu Kumar — both residents of Saharanpur, were promptly taken to Fatehgarh Sahib Civil Hospital, and subsequently referred to Rajindra Hospital in Patiala after initial treatment. Some passengers also sustained minor injuries and were administered first aid at the site.

The collision severely disrupted train services on the Ludhiana-Ambala route, affecting 29 trains. The derailment between Sadhugarh and Sirhind led to significant delays and rerouting of train services. Trains are being diverted through alternative routes including Rajpura, Patiala, Dhuri, and Chandigarh to manage the situation.

Railway teams have been deployed to the site to restore normal traffic. Senior railway officials are on-site supervising the restoration efforts to ensure a swift return to normal operations.

The railway authorities have set up help desks at key stations, including Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar City, Jammu Tawi, Jalandhar Cantt, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra, Firozpur Cantt, and Pathankot Cantt. These help desks are staffed by railway personnel to assist passengers with information regarding train diversions, cancellations, and other changes.

Several trains, including Jammu Tawi-Varanasi, Firozpur Cantt-Dhanbad, Amritsar-New Delhi, Amritsar-New Delhi, and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra-New Delhi, have been rescheduled due to the accident.