17420/17022 Vasco Da Gama-Tirupati/Hyderabad weekly express: Goods train derails in mountainous region of South Goa; services affected, restoration work on

A goods train derailed in a mountainous region of South Goa bordering Karnataka on Friday morning, affecting the movement of trains on the South Western Railway (SWR) route, officials said.

The train with 17 loaded wagons derailed in the ghat section between Sonalium and Dudhsagar stations under the Hubballi division at 9.35 am, SWR's chief public relation officer Manjunath Kanamadi said.

As a result of the derailment, three trains were diverted and two others were cancelled, he said in a release. Accident relief trains with 140-ton cranes and other required materials have been dispatched to the site and restoration work was underway, he said.

Due to the derailment, train number 17420/17022 Vasco Da Gama-Tirupati/Hyderabad weekly express, has been diverted to run via Madgaon, Karwar, Padil, Subrahmanya Road, Hassan, Arsikere, Chikjajur, Rayadurga and Ballari and further on its regular path. Train 12779 Vasco Da Gama-Hazrat Nizamuddin express has been diverted via Madgaon, Roha, Panvel, Kalyan and Pune and further in its regular path.

Hazrat Nizamuddin-Vasco Da Gama express (12780) was also diverted. Two trains - 17309 Yesvantpur-Vasco Da Gama and 17310 Vasco Da Gama-Yesvantpur - have been cancelled, the official said. Senior SWR officials rushed to the site to oversee the restoration work for clearing the route, he said.