Five wagons of an empty goods train derailed at Kethandapatty village near Jolarpet Railway Station in Tirupattur on Sunday.
Railway officials said that the goods train, with 38 wagons, was heading to Whitefield neighbourhood in Bengaluru. The wheels of five wagons disengaged from the track, derailing the train and also damaging the track. The incident happened at 5.45 p.m on Sunday.
Many commuters, who went away as it was a holiday and were returning home, were left stranded at Jolarpet Railway Station as services of the Arakkonam-bound passenger train were affected. Also, the incoming Dhanbad Express from Alappuzha (Kerala) was halted.
Several express trains, including Kaveri Express (Mysore - Chennai), Nilagiri Express (Chennai - Mettupalayam), Alleppey Express (Alleppey - Chennai) and Kovai Express (Coimbatore - Chennai Central) were delayed.
Immediately, a team of higher officials and engineering crew rushed to the spot. Restoration work is in progress in full swing and normality will be restored soon, officials said.
