Two compartments of a goods train derailed at Rangapani, a station on the southern outskirts of Siliguri, on Wednesday, barely one-and-a-half months after a freight carrier had slammed into the rear of the Agartala-Sealdah Kanchenjunga Express at a nearby location killing 10 people.

Sources said around 11.45am on Wednesday, a goods train with around 25 rakes — each carrying an empty oil tanker — was going to the railway siding of the terminal of Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) when the axles of two bogies went off
the tracks.

“The train was entering the siding of the NRL as the wagons were supposed to be filled with petroleum. Traffic along the railway level crossing in Rangapani stopped after the accident. However, by 12.30pm, the unaffected tankers were sent to the siding and the level crossing was opened. An inquiry has been initiated,” said Sabyasachi De, the chief public relations officer of the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).

The bottom portion of one of the derailed rakes.

The incident occurred barely 2km from Chhoto Nirmaljote, which is situated between the Rangapani and Chater Hat stations. On June 17, the goods train had rammed into the Sealdah-bound Kanchenjunga Express at Chhoto Nirmaljote. Among the 10 deceased people were the loco pilot of the goods train and the train manager (guard) of Kanchenjunga Express.

Railways had conducted an inquiry and many lapses were found in the incident.

On Tuesday, the Howrah-Mumbai Express derailed at Chakradharpur in Jharkhand and two persons died.

“Another rail accident today, in the same Phansidewa/ Rangapani area in North Bengal, where there was a most tragic accident just six weeks back! We are very concerned about what is happening!!,” Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee wrote on her X handle.

Senior officials of the NFR rushed to the spot that is around 10km from New Jalpaiguri. Workers and equipment were engaged to remove the derailed tankers and the train from the area.

“No casualty or injury has been reported so far. We are trying to find out what led to the derailment,” said an official.

Five long-distance passenger trains passing through NJP were delayed by 90 minutes following the derailment. The trains were halted at different stations, sources said.

Because of the accident, the railway level crossing at Rangapani, which is one of the busiest crossings on the outskirts of Siliguri, also remained closed for almost an hour. This led to traffic congestion and hundreds of daily commuters faced inconvenience reaching their workplaces.

“The level crossing closes intermittently because of the frequent movement of trains. But today, because of derailment, it remained closed for almost an hour. Many of us could not reach our workplaces on time,” said Manotosh Singha, a teacher.