India's most delayed train: Took over 3 years to complete its journey

A goods wagon from Visakhapatnam to Basti in Uttar Pradesh took almost four years to reach its destination. This train is considered to be the most delayed in the history of Indian Railways. It took a total of 3 years 8 months 7 days to complete its journey.

A goods train wagon carrying 1,316 bags of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP) fertilizer departed from its station on November 10, 2014, and reached Basti railway station in Uttar Pradesh on July 25, 2018. Even the rail officials and staff were taken by surprise.

It shattered all records for delays, taking more than 3.5 years to cover a journey. The distance is otherwise covered in 42 hours and 13 minutes.

The consignee is Ramchandra Gupta, a businessman of Basti, and the wagon was booked in his name in 2014 from Vishakhapatnam through Indian Potash Limited (IPL). The train, carrying goods worth over Rs 14 lakhs, departed from Visakhapatnam as per the schedule, with the usual journey time being 42 hours to complete the trip. However, contrary to expectations, the train did not arrive on time.

When the train failed to reach Basti in November 2014, Ramchandra Gupta contacted the railway authorities and submitted numerous written complaints. Despite his repeated notifications, no action was taken by the authorities. It was only later discovered that the train had gone missing while en route.

The Chief Public relations officer of the North Eastern Railway zone, Sanjay Yadav, said, "Sometimes, when some wagon or bogie becomes sick (unfit to ferry), it is sent to the yard and it seems that the same happened in this case too."

After an investigation, the train carrying fertilizers finally arrived at Basti railway station in Uttar Pradesh in July 2018. However, there was no clarity on where, how, or why the train was delayed or went missing during this period. As a result of this unprecedented delay, fertilizers worth 14 lakhs were rendered useless. This incident has been recorded as the most delayed train journey in the history of Indian Railways.