Passengers on the Chennai Mail going from Thiruvananthapuram to Chennai survived a major disaster on Friday afternoon, after the engine of the moving train got detached from the rakes at Kochuveli in Thiruvananthapuram.
Though the passengers panicked, all of them were safe and a major accident was averted. The train’s engine attached to the first coach got uncoupled at Kochuveli, which is an outer station in Thiruvananthapuram.
According to Southern Railways, the accident happened between Kochuveli and Kazhakootam, when the engine broke free of the generator van following behind.
“Train Engine to First coach (Generator van) of Trivandrum- Chennai mail got uncoupled between Kochuveli and Kazhakootam. Engine was reconnected with the rake. The situation is not dangerous,” the Railways said in a statement.
Since the train was moving at a slow speed, the bogies stopped after moving forward slightly. Meanwhile the engine was also brought to a halt, an official told IANS.
The train continued its journey after the engine was reconnected to the rake.
There was only a 30-minute delay, during which the engine was firmly coupled.
Southern Railways will conduct an investigation into the incident.
“The passengers are safe and the train resumed the journey. But there will be investigation on what caused the engine break,” an official told TNM.
(With IANS inputs)