Jamui/Patna: Rail traffic on a key section of eastern India’s railway network began returning to normal late Tuesday after authorities restored the down line nearly 70 hours after a cement-laden freight train derailed in Jamui district.
The derailment occurred around 11.44 pm on Saturday on the Barua River bridge near Telwa Halt on the Jhajha–Jasidih section, bringing train movement on both the up and down lines to a complete halt. The accident triggered widespread disruption, stranding passengers, forcing cancellations and affecting long-distance services across the Patna–Howrah route.
After what officials described as sustained and intensive restoration work, railway authorities cleared the down line late on Tuesday evening. The first passenger train to arrive at Jamui station from the down direction was the Maurya Express (15028), which reached at 9.22 pm.
The station premises were crowded as the train pulled in, with many passengers having waited for days to continue their journeys. Others, whose travel plans had been derailed by the prolonged disruption, had earlier cancelled their reservations. Railway staff said the resumption of services brought visible relief among travellers gathered at the station.
The station master on duty said the next down-line service expected was the Tatanagar Express (28182). Officials added that work on restoring the up line was nearing completion and that train operations in that direction were scheduled to resume on Wednesday morning.
Station superintendent Nitish Kumar confirmed that while down-line operations had restarted, full normalcy would return only after the up line became operational. “Passengers have faced significant hardship over the past three days. With the down line open and the up line set to resume, services will gradually stabilise,” he said.
Railway authorities have advised passengers to continue checking updated schedules, warning that some services may still run with delays as operations are fully normalised following the derailment.
