Gas leak disrupts train services, at least nine Shramik Specials affected

The gas leak from a chemical factory in Visakhapatnam on Thursday disrupted the movement of around 45 trains - nine Shramik Specials and the rest goods carriers - as rail workers suffering from irritation in their eyes and breathlessness halted work.

Train services came to a halt at the Simhachalam North Railway Station (SCMN) in Visakhapatnam, near the chemical factory, between 8:35 hours and 12:00 hours, leading to several trains being stranded and prompting authorities to divert some others.

Passenger train services are suspended in the country due to the ongoing lockdown to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. But the railways has been operating a few Shramik Specials to ferry migrant labourers, students and pilgrims stranded due to the lockdown, besides goods trains.

At least nine Shramik Specials and 36 goods trains were affected due to the gas leak that claimed 11 lives and left a thousand others ill.

The early morning gas leak has disrupted the service of the Abu Road-Visakhpatnam migrant special.

Other Shramik Special rakes, which are controlled by the Waltair railway division headquartered at Visakhapatnam and whose movements have been affected, are Darbhanga-Thrissur, Hatia-Eranakulam, Saharsa-Chintakunta, and Palakkad-Jagannathpur.

Some Shramik Special trains have been diverted via Vijayawada railway station and Balharshah railway station. These include Ghatkesar-Katihar, Katpadi-Hatia, Lingampalli-Bhagalpur, and Kozhikode-Katihar. The Centre has said 11 people died and 1,000 others were exposed to the gas leak from the multinational L G Polymers Plant at R R Venkatapuram village near Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The gas leak impacted villages within a five-kilometer radius of the plant, according to officials.