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Rajdhani derails in Bengal, major accident averted
A Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express nearly met with a major accident on Monday morning when the driver applied the emergency brakes after the engine apparently developed technical snags in Hooghly district, 40 km away its destination.
A Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express nearly met with a major accident on Monday morning when the driver applied the emergency brakes after the engine apparently developed technical snags in Hooghly district, 40 km away its destination.
The driver applied the emergency brakes of the train traveling at 128 km per hour, causing the derailment of two wheels of the engine. It also resulted in damages to the tracks, forcing about 300 pandrol clips "that bind the tracks to the sleepers" out of their position.
Luckily, none of the passengers was injured.
"There is no prima facie evidence of sabotage in the incident. It seems the use of emergency brakes had caused the displacement of the pandrol clips. However, an inquiry has been ordered," said BN Tripathy, general manager, Eastern Railway, after he visited the spot.
Driver Mahendra Singh, who had taken over at Dhanbad, said he slammed the brakes after consulting his colleagues after they heard a big sound.
The additional director general, Government Railway Police also ruled out sabotage but said an investigation had been initiated. Sniffer dogs, too, were brought to the spot.
The incident comes amid heightened concerns about passenger safety following the Sainthia disaster on July 19, when 61 passengers were killed when a speeding train ignored red signals and rammed into a stationary train at the station and three months after the Jnaneswari Express disaster.
