Gopeshwar, 31 December (H.S.): Approximately 60 workers sustained injuries late Tuesday when a loco train ferrying personnel rammed into a stationary goods train deep inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under-construction Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

The collision, occurring around 9:30 p.m. during a routine shift change at the TVM site roughly 4.5 kilometers within the tunnel, involved 109 passengers aboard the worker train; two coaches derailed amid the narrow, darkened confines, hurling occupants off balance without fatalities or fires.

All victims received prompt evacuation and treatment, with conditions reported stable—no secondary accidents ensued during rescue amid the 444-megawatt THDC India Limited venture on the Alaknanda River.

Collision Dynamics and Immediate Response

District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar confirmed the impact stemmed from one personnel-carrying loco overtaking or rear-ending the materials-laden counterpart on a single track, a standard internal transport mechanism in hydroelectric tunnels.

Chamoli Superintendent of Police Surjeet Singh detailed 42 admissions to Gopeshwar District Hospital—including four to five with fractures—and 17 at Pipalkoti's Vivekananda Hospital, where Kumar and Singh personally oversaw care post-incident.

Rescue teams, comprising project staff, police, and SDRF, extracted everyone within hours using tunnel locomotives, averting entrapment in the confined space.

Project Context and Safety Probe

The 444-MW run-of-the-river initiative between Helang and Pipalkoti, slated for 2026 commissioning, employs such locos for shuttling over 1,000 daily workers and supplies across its 13.6-kilometer headrace tunnel amid Himalayan terrain.

Preliminary attributions cite possible technical failure like brake malfunction or signaling lapse in low visibility, prompting a district-mandated inquiry into protocols during peak shift transitions. Officials emphasized no explosive materials were involved, underscoring the controlled derailment's limited severity despite the high passenger load.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar