Hussain Express diverted on to the emergency line near Khandala

Following the incident, Central Railways suspended Nagnath station’s deputy station superintendent Dhrarasing Meena

The Hussain Sagar Express, bound for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) from Hyderabad, was diverted onto an uphill emergency route in Bhor Ghat near Khandala on Sunday early morning. No passengers were injured in the incident, but the error caused the train to be delayed by two hours.

It took three engines to draw the Hussain Sagar Express back onto the right track (Representational image) (HT Photo)

The incident occurred at Nagnath Cabin, a single platform halt station around 114-km from CSMT at 3.20am. The Express was directed onto an uphill catch siding — the track laid to divert trains in case of emergencies such as excess speed or brake failure — instead of going towards Karjat station downhill.

Following the incident, Central Railways (CR) suspended Nagnath station’s deputy station superintendent Dhrarasing Meena.

According to railwaymen, the train travelled almost 500m on the catch siding. It took close to two hours to pull it back with the help of three engines summoned from Lonavala. “Only two coaches of Hussain Express entered on the catch siding,” said AK Jain, senior public relations officer, CR.

As per its schedule, Hussain Sagar Express arrives at CSMT at 4.55am. Due to the incident, it got delayed by 2 hours and 10 minutes and arrived at Dadar station at 7.05am, where its journey was terminated.

The 28-km long Bhor Ghat is one of the steepest ghat sections in the country. “If any train travels at excess speed or fails to stop at a red signal at this halt station, it is automatically diverted on to the catch siding,” said a railway official.

“If any train travels at excess speed or fails to stop at a red signal at this halt station, it is automatically diverted on to the catch siding, a track laid for such emergencies,” said a railwayman.