Passenger train engine derails after hitting cattle, disrupts services at Nilambur

Malappuram: Several passengers were stranded after the railways cancelled two services following a derailment at Vallapuzha in Palakkad on Wednesday.

Train services were halted around 5.15 pm after the engine of the Nilambur-Palakkad Passenger derailed following a collision with a cattle that had strayed onto the track.

Two passenger trains were cancelled while the Rajya Rani Express scheduled to leave Nilambur at 9.30 pm was rescheduled till Thursday morning causing difficulties for passengers who had booked their tickets on the Thiruvananthapuram-bound service.

The buses along the route were suddenly filled with passengers pouring out of the railway station.

“We need to attend a meeting organised by Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) on Thursday morning at Thiruvananthapuram. The rescheduling of the Rajya Rani Express has ruined our plans. We won't reach there on time if we take the morning train so we are forced to hire a taxi,” said Iqbal, who had booked a ticket on Rajya Rani Express.