A viral post (here, here and here) on social media claims that a fertiliser goods train from Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) to Basti (Uttar Pradesh) took more than three years to reach its destination. Several prominent outlets have also published articles making the same claim in 2024 (here, here, and here). Let’s find out the truth behind this claim.
Claim: A fertiliser goods train from Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh) to Basti (Uttar Pradesh) took more than three years to reach its destination.
Fact: There is no truth to this claim. Reports show that only one wagon carrying fertilisers was delayed and reached Basti after more than three years in July 2018, while the rest of the train was not delayed. PIB also clarified that no goods train on Indian Railways has ever taken this long to reach its destination, making the claim MISLEADING.
To verify the claim, we conducted a keyword search on Google using details from the viral post. This led us to a special report by The Economic Times published in July 2018. The report clarified that it was not the entire train but only one wagon that was delayed in the journey. According to the report, a businessman named Ramachandra Gupta from Basti, Uttar Pradesh, had booked fertilisers through Indian Potash Limited (IPL) in 2014. IPL booked a wagon to transport 1,316 bags of Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilisers from Visakhapatnam to Basti. Normally, the 1,400 km journey takes about 42 hours and 13 minutes, but this particular wagon took more than three years to reach its destination.
Further research led us to several reports on the same incident (here and here), all of which confirmed that only one wagon was delayed, not the entire train. According to these reports, Indian Potash Limited, on behalf of M/S Ramachandra Gupta of Basti, Uttar Pradesh, had loaded wagon No. 107462 with fertilisers from Visakhapatnam port in 2014. When the wagon did not arrive even after several months, Gupta lodged a complaint with the Railways. Eventually, the wagon loaded with fertilisers reached Basti railway station in July 2018.
North Eastern Railways Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Sanjay Yadav, speaking about the incident, said, “It appears that this specific wagon/ bogie was part of the rake and got detached from the train. It was sent to a yard for repairs as it became unfit for running on the track.” Based on this evidence, it is clear that the entire train was not delayed; only a single wagon of the goods train reached its destination late.
Additionally, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Government of India, through its official Fact-Checking handle on X (Twitter) on 10 December 2024, clarified that these stories are misleading and confirmed that no goods train on Indian Railways has ever taken this long to reach its destination.
To sum up, the claim that an Indian Railways goods train was delayed by more than three years is incorrect; it was only a single wagon, not the entire train.
