Heavy rain triggers smaller landslides; Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Superfast Express locomotive derails at Parassala in Keralam

Representative image. | Photo credit: MA Sriram

Heavy rain caused minor landslides at two places along the railway line between Thiruvananthapuram and Nagercoil, derailing a train locomotive and disrupting train services connecting south Kerala with Nagercoil and Kanniyakumari on Thursday (October 22, 2026). The Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Superfast Express locomotive derailed near Parasala in Kerala, though no injuries were reported.

The incident took place at around 2.19 am when a large part of the land slid on the railway track near Parasala after heavy rain in the region. The locomotive of train No. 22619 Bilaspur-Tirunelveli Express was derailed after four wheels of the locomotive derailed following a skid.

All the passengers and railway staff are safe while a relief locomotive pushed by the railway brought all the coaches of the derailed train back to Neyyattinkara and transported the passengers to various points along the road.

The track restoration was successfully completed after the track was re-tracked and the derailed locomotive was removed. According to railway authorities, train services have been resumed after all necessary safety checks. The Mangaluru-bound Parasuram Express left Parassala and passed through the affected section safely.

Earlier, a rescue train (ART) was immediately dispatched to the site along with personnel and material to carry out restoration work and resume train services.

Affected trains

The following trains are affected due to restoration work on the Neyyattinkara-Parassala section:

1. Train No. 06163 Tambaram–Thiruvananthapuram Central Special — at Eraniel.

2. Train No. 16729 Madurai–Punalur Express — at North Panakudi.

3. Train No. 16121 Tambaram–Thiruvananthapuram Central Amrit Bharat Express – at Nanguneri.

Trains with delayed departures

1. Train No. 16650 Kanniyakumari–Mangaluru Central Parasuram Express – Kanniyakumari departure scheduled at 3:45 is delayed.

2. Train No. 56102 Nagercoil Junction–Punalur Passenger – departure from Nagercoil Junction scheduled at 6.25 am is delayed.

3. Train No. 56306 Thiruvananthapuram North–Nagercoil Junction Passenger – departure from Thiruvananthapuram North scheduled at 6.30 am will be delayed.

4. Train No. 56705 Punalur–Kanniyakumari Passenger – departure from Thiruvananthapuram Central scheduled at 9.25 am will be delayed.

5. Train No. 16122 Thiruvananthapuram Central–Tambaram Express – departure from Thiruvananthapuram Central scheduled at 10.40 am will be delayed.

Long-distance trains that will be delayed

1. Train No. 16128 Guruvayur–Chennai Egmore Express will be delayed.

2. Train No. 16381 Pune–Kanniyakumari Express will be delayed.

Completely canceled trains:

1 Train No. 56306 Thiruvananthapuram North – Nagercoil Junction Departs Thiruvananthapuram North at 6:30 am

2. Train No. 56309 Nagercoil Junction – Thiruvananthapuram North Passenger scheduled to depart Nagercoil Junction at 6:20 p.m.

3 Train No. 56102 Nagercoil Junction – Kollam Junction Passenger is scheduled to leave Nagercoil Junction at 6.25 am.

4 Train No. 56101 Kollam Junction – Nagercoil Junction Passenger departs from Kollam Junction at 3:35 p.m.

5 Train No. 56305 Nagercoil Junction – Thiruvananthapuram North Passenger. departure from Nagercoil Junction is scheduled at 7:55 AM

6 Train No. 56310 Thiruvananthapuram North – Nagercoil Junction Personal departure from Thiruvananthapuram North at 1:25

Short ending

1 Train No. 22619 Bilaspur – Tirunelveli Express which started its run from Bilaspur on October 20 will be terminated at Neyyattinkara for a short time. The train is partially canceled between Neyyattinkara and Tirunelveli.

Rescheduling

1 Train No. 16650 Kanniyakumari – Mangaluru Central Parasuram Express departing Kanniyakumari at 3:45 AM. On October 22nd, it was rescheduled to depart at 7:00 AM (i.e. 3 hours and 15 minutes late)

Published – 22 Oct 2026 09:49 IST