2 loco trains collide inside Uttarakhand's Vishnugad-Pipalkoti tunnel; 60 injured
What's the story
A collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district left around 60 people injured late on Tuesday night. Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said one train was carrying workers and another was carrying materials when they collided. Both trains were operating within the project area, which is being developed by THDC (India).
Medical response
Injured workers receive treatment at local hospitals
District Magistrate Kumar confirmed that 109 people were on board the trains during the accident and all of them have been rescued. He said, "All those injured have been rescued, and their condition is stable." The Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Chamoli added that 10 injured persons were shifted to Gopeshwar's district hospital for medical treatment.
Project details
Project's power generation capacity and completion timeline
The Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project has a total power generation capacity of 444 megawatts. It is being constructed on the Alaknanda River between Helang and Pipalkoti in the Chamoli district. The project aims to generate 111 megawatts of electricity through four turbines and is expected to be completed by next year.
Railway clarification
Clarification on Indian Railways's involvement in incident
Indian Railways later clarified that the incident was due to local trolley transportation arrangements and had nothing to do with their operations. Northern Railway CPRO Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay said, "It is clarified that during the construction of a hydro power project and tunnel in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, an incident occurred due to the local trolley transportation arrangement." He emphasized that "this event has nothing to do with Indian Railways."
Twitter Post
In constant contact with district magistrate of Chamoli: CM
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami tweets, "I am in constant contact with the District Magistrate of Chamoli regarding the accident that occurred at the TBM site of the under-construction THDC Vishnu Gad - Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Pipalkoti, Chamoli district.… pic.twitter.com/xSsdmI6PCE
— ANI (@ANI) December 31, 2025