Landslide derails Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express locomotive near Parassala in Kerala; all passengers safe

A landslide on the railway line near Parassala in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district derailed the locomotive of the Bilaspur–Tirunelveli Express early on Thursday, October 22, disrupting trains between southern Kerala and Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu. No injuries were reported.

Train No. 22619 was stopped near Parassala at 2.19 am after the landslide, and its locomotive was found derailed once the train came to a halt, Southern Railway said. Heavy rain had triggered minor landslips at two places on the line between Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil, and four wheels of the locomotive slipped off the track, The Hindu reported. The India Meteorological Department had issued orange and yellow alerts for Thiruvananthapuram district.

“All passengers and railway staff are safe,” Southern Railway said in a statement. A relief locomotive took the train’s coaches back to Neyyattinkara, where the service was short-terminated, and buses were arranged to take passengers on towards Tirunelveli.

An accident relief train with staff and materials was sent to the site. The derailed locomotive was put back on the rails and removed, and services on the Neyyattinkara–Parassala section were restored by 8.10 am after safety inspections, the railway said. The Kanniyakumari–Mangaluru Parasuram Express was the first train to pass through the affected stretch.

The disruption carried on through the day. Six passenger trains scheduled for Thursday were cancelled. The Tambaram–Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express (16121) was short-terminated at Nagercoil Town, and its return service (16122) was set to start from Nagercoil Town at 11.47 am instead of Thiruvananthapuram Central. Several other trains, including the Madurai–Punalur Express, were held on the way or left late.