The calamitous train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district, which claimed over 233 lives and left at least 900 injured, has necessitated significant changes to rail services in the region, with numerous trains being cancelled or rerouted.
The Shalimar-Chennai Central Coromandel Express, involved in the accident while en route from Kolkata to Chennai, collided with derailed coaches of another train, the Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express. The incident occurred approximately 255 km from Howrah around 7 p.m., and also entangled a goods train in its chaos.
Following the catastrophe, the Indian Railways has been compelled to cancel or divert several train services due to the massive wreckage on the tracks and ensuing investigations.
Cancellation: Among the services affected include a host of express trains, such as the Howrah-Puri Express, the Howrah-Sir M Visveswaraiya Terminal Express, and the Howrah-Chennai Mail. Shalimar-Puri Superfast Express, Shalimar-Sambalpur Express, and Santragachi-Puri Special are also cancelled, alongside several others, creating a significant disruption to travel plans.
Diversion: Some trains, including the Santragachi-Chennai Express, Digha-Visakhapatnam Express, Shalimar-Puri Sri Jagannath Express, and the Howrah-Mysuru Express, will be rerouted to bypass the affected zone.
Partial Cancellation: The Jaleswar-Puri Special will originate from Bhadrak instead of Jaleswar on 3rd June 2023 due to the disruptions.
The New Delhi-Puri Purusottam Express and Rishikesh-Puri Kalinga Utkal Express, both scheduled for 1st June 2023, will now operate via Tata-Kendujhargarh, while the Puri-Anand Vihar (New Delhi) Nandankanan Express, set for 3rd June 2023, will run via Jakhapura-Jaroli.