Muzaffarpur/Patna: Train services were disrupted at Muzaffarpur Junction on Monday evening after four wheels of a ballast-laden goods train derailed in the station yard around 6pm. The train, en route to Narayanpur from Madipur, was in the process of dropping ballast on the tracks when the incident occurred.
According to initial reports, one of the wagons became unbalanced and derailed, prompting immediate action from railway staff. A Group D employee who was aboard the affected wagon managed to escape injury by jumping off moments before the derailment. The train was reportedly moving at a low speed—around 10 km per hour—at the time, limiting the extent of the damage.
The derailment led to temporary halts and diversions of several passenger trains. The Lichchhavi Express was stranded at Madipur Outer, the Muzaffarpur–Porbandar Express was held at Muzaffarpur Junction, and the Samastipur–Siwan Passenger train was stopped at Silaut station.
Sonpur Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Vivek Bhushan Sood rushed to the site to assess the situation. Teams from engineering, operations, carriage, and construction departments, along with personnel from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), were deployed at the scene.
DRM Sood stated that operations would resume shortly after clearing the track. “We have removed the wagons ahead of the derailed one and are now working to clear the remaining wagons behind it,” he said, adding that a high-level inquiry would be initiated to determine the cause of the derailment.
The incident comes just days after a coal-laden freight train derailed in Bihar, raising concerns over the safety of rail operations in the region.
