What happened here
Cause not yet confirmed. NFR's early statement says the loco pilot gave precedence to another train but could not control the speed; The Sentinel's headline says brake failure and NDTV describes cab footage with the driver saying the brakes were not working. None of this has been established by an inquiry. At about 6.54 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026, the engine and five coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express went off the track at Digaru station on the edge of Guwahati, Assam, while the train was being received at the station for another train to pass. No death is reported. Injuries are given as none, three, four or eight. Coach counts range from five to seven. The railway sent a relief train and held two other trains. The speed, the number of passengers and the cause are not reported.
Quick answers
What happened at Digaru?
At about 6.54 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026, the engine and five coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express (13125) went off the track at Digaru station, near Guwahati in Assam, according to Northeast Frontier Railway.
Did anyone die?
No death is reported in any of the eight reports we opened.
How many people were hurt?
Reports differ: none (the railway's first statement), three (a hospital doctor), four with minor injuries (the Chief Minister) and eight with minor injuries (an SDRF official).
How many coaches derailed?
The railway spokesperson says the engine and five coaches. One account quotes six coaches and NDTV's video description says seven.
What caused the derailment?
It is not established. The railway says the loco pilot gave precedence to another train but could not control the speed. A reported cab video says the brakes were not working, but this is not confirmed. An inquiry will decide.
What should I do in a train derailment?
Hold on and brace, stay inside until the coach has stopped, follow the guard and the staff, and move well away from the track and the overhead wires. Call 139 or 112.
Is there a Guwahati safety guide?
Yes. Our Guwahati city safety guide has emergency numbers, hospitals and local risks.
What happened
At about 6.54 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026, the Kolkata-Sairang Express (train 13125) came off the track at Digaru railway station, in the Sonapur area on the eastern edge of Guwahati, Assam. Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) says the locomotive and five coaches derailed; its chief public relations officer is quoted by The Sentinel as saying six coaches, and NDTV’s video description says seven. No death is reported by any source we opened.
What the injury figures say depends on the hour and the source. NFR’s early statement said all passengers were safe with no injuries. A doctor at Sonapur District Hospital told The Assam Tribune three injured passengers had arrived. Assam’s Chief Minister said four people had minor injuries. An SDRF official said eight. Railway officials said the loco pilot gave precedence to another train, which is why the train was being received at Digaru, but could not control the speed. That is NFR’s early statement; an inquiry will establish the cause.
What the reports say
- Train and place: Train 13125 Kolkata-Sairang Express, at Digaru railway station, Kamrup (Metropolitan), about 6.54 am on Wednesday 11 November 2026 (NFR, as in The Sentinel, PTI and The Week). NKTV says about 6.45 am; a passenger told The Assam Tribune about 6.30 am.
- Derailed: The locomotive and five coaches (NFR spokesperson, PTI, Assam Tribune, Amar Ujala, Aaj Tak). The chief public relations officer is quoted by The Sentinel as saying six coaches; NDTV’s video description says seven. Amar Ujala’s headline says six, which fits the engine plus five.
- Deaths: None reported in any of the eight reports we opened.
- Injured: None (NFR’s early statement); The Sentinel reports no casualties and a handful of minor scrapes treated at the site; three arrived at Sonapur District Hospital, two minor and one with a possible hand fracture and chest injuries (a hospital doctor, The Assam Tribune); four with minor injuries (Chief Minister’s post, PTI); eight with minor injuries (an SDRF official, News Live). Aaj Tak and The Week mention reports of several injured.
- Hospital: Sonapur Primary Health Centre (Chief Minister, PTI) or Sonapur District Hospital (The Assam Tribune, News Live). News Live says the injured were given first aid and discharged.
- Cause, as stated early: NFR’s spokesperson said the loco pilot gave precedence to another train, but could not control the speed as the train entered Digaru station (PTI). The Sentinel’s body says the train was being routed onto a loop line for an incoming express to pass. News Live quotes NFR as saying the train was moving at low speed and could not stop in time. An investigation will determine the cause (NFR, per News Live and The Week).
- Response: The NFR General Manager and senior officials went to the site; a relief train and a recovery train were sent; an alternative train was arranged to take passengers on. Jan Shatabdi 12067 was held at Panbari and Coimbatore-Silchar 15627 at Panikhaiti (Aaj Tak, PTI).
Where reports differ and what we do not know
- Coaches: Engine and five coaches (NFR spokesperson, PTI), six (the railway’s chief public relations officer as quoted by The Sentinel; Amar Ujala headline) or seven (NDTV video description). The railway is quoted with both five and six, so the count may depend on whether the engine is included.
- Injured: None, three, four or eight, and several in some reports. The count rose through the morning. NFR’s no-injury statement came first; the Chief Minister’s four came later. Eyewitnesses told PTI several were hurt.
- Cause: The railway says the loco pilot could not control the speed. The Sentinel’s sub-heading says brake failure, which its own body does not support. A video from the locomotive cab is reported by NDTV to capture the driver saying the brakes were not working; the pages we opened do not say who recorded it or whether railway officials accept it. A passenger told The Assam Tribune he saw fire near the front of the train; no other report mentions fire. Treat all of this as unconfirmed.
- Speed: NFR says the speed could not be controlled; News Live says NFR described low speed. The speed has not been published.
- Time: About 6.54 am (NFR); about 6.45 am (NKTV); about 6.30 am (one passenger).
- Not known: The cause, the speed, the number of passengers aboard, the exact injury count, whether any signal or brake fault exists, and whether the Commissioner of Railway Safety will inquire. Asianet News reported at about midday on 11 November that trains were running normally again on both the up and down lines.
What this case teaches
A derailment on a station approach is usually a very different event from one at line speed, and the early reports point that way: coaches leaned heavily but did not overturn, nearby houses were not damaged and the injuries are described as minor. The speed itself has not been published. The questions that matter next are about the loop line, the speed and the brakes, and no report answers them yet.
If you travel by train, the first few seconds and the first few minutes after a derailment are where passengers can help themselves: hold on and brace, stay inside until the coach has stopped, listen to the guard and the staff, and keep away from the tracks and the overhead wires afterwards. Our guides cover safety in buses, trains and metros, what passengers do in a train coach fire and railway platform safety in India.
Similar cases on the site are the Rahman Baba Express derailment near Multan, the El-Ayyat train collision in Egypt, the Spain train collision near Toledo and the Karmabhoomi Express fire near Sarai Banjara. Guwahati’s emergency numbers, hospitals and local risks are in our Guwahati safety guide. We read the reports during 11 November 2026, the day of the derailment, so the figures may change.
- The Kolkata-Sairang Express is being received at Digaru station so that another train can use the main line; the engine and five coaches go off the track
- NFR's first statement says all passengers are safe and no one is injured; a local resident tells The Sentinel they heard a loud screech and a thud
- NFR's General Manager and senior officials leave for the site; relief and recovery trains are sent; 12067 is held at Panbari and 15627 at Panikhaiti
- A hospital doctor at Sonapur District Hospital tells The Assam Tribune three injured passengers have arrived
- The Chief Minister says four people have minor injuries and all passengers are safe; an alternative train is arranged for stranded passengers
- NFR's spokesperson says the loco pilot could not control the speed; NDTV reports cab footage in which the driver says the brakes were not working (unconfirmed)
- An SDRF official says eight passengers had minor injuries, per News Live; NFR says an investigation will determine the cause
Why consequences escalated
- The engine and five coaches of the Kolkata-Sairang Express (13125) derailed at Digaru station near Guwahati at about 6.54 am on 11 November 2026.
- No death is reported in any of the eight reports we opened.
- Injuries are given as none, three, four and eight; the Chief Minister said four people had minor injuries.
- The railway says the loco pilot gave precedence to another train but could not control the speed; The Sentinel's headline and a reported cab video point to the brakes. Neither is established.
- The cause will be decided by an inquiry. No finding has been published.
- Two other trains were held and an alternative train was arranged for passengers.
Failures and risk multipliers
- No official finding exists yet. What the reports raise as questions:
- Why the speed could not be brought down as the train entered the loop line, and whether the brakes worked.
- What the signal showed, since the reported cab video mentions a red signal and we have not seen it confirmed.
- How fast the train was running when it came off the track; NFR has not published the speed.
- Whether the loop line and points at Digaru were in order.
- These are open questions, not findings of fault.
Actions that reduce risk
- Passengers: when a train jerks or brakes hard, hold on to a fixed rail or the berth, keep your feet braced and your head down, and stay in the coach until it has stopped.
- After a derailment: listen to the guard and railway staff, leave by the door or window they point you to, help children and elders, and move well clear of the track.
- Stay away from the overhead wires and from the other line; another train can come, and a fallen wire can be live. Do not walk along the track.
- Call the railway helpline 139 or 112 and say the train number, the nearest station and how many are hurt.
- Railways: publish the cause, the speed and the signal and brake findings, and say how loop-line entries are controlled at speed.
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