In a surprising event, an Indian Railways train set a record for the longest delay in the country's history. The train, which departed from Visakhapatnam in November 2014, took an unbelievable 3.5 years to reach its destination at Basti station in Uttar Pradesh. Typically, the journey should have taken just 42 hours and 13 minutes to cover the 1,400-kilometre distance.
According to Zee News, the train was carrying 1,361 packets of fertiliser, worth over 14 lakhs, which businessman Ramchandra Gupta had booked for delivery. However, the train did not arrive as expected in November 2014. Concerned, Gupta contacted railway authorities and filed multiple complaints, but no action was taken. The train seemed to have disappeared without any trace.
After years of searching and investigation, the train finally arrived at Basti station in July 2018, over three and a half years later. By then, the fertiliser had become useless. Despite the investigation, there was no clear explanation for why the train was delayed or how it went missing for so long.
This incident remains one of the most shocking and mysterious delays in the history of Indian Railways. It highlights the challenges in the railway system and the need for better tracking and management of freight trains to avoid such extreme delays in the future.
