Passengers of Chittoor-bound Venkatadri Express had a narrow escape when the train coaches separated near Mamandur station in Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district on Monday morning. According to Renigunta Government Railway Police (GRP) as many as three coaches of the express train were decoupled from engine, sending the passengers into a tizzy.
Railway police said the train, which had left Kacheguda station in Hyderabad on Sunday, split into two near Mamandur station before it was ending its journey in Chittoor. The engine had moved about half-a-kilometer after the decoupling.
Technical team of the Railway department swung into action and rushed to the scene to repair the coupling. Speaking to TNM, GRP Renigunta Circle Inspector said, "The train was going towards Chittoor. The incident happened near Mamandur, 10km away from Renigunta. A link that connects the coaches was disconnected at S3 coach leading to separation of S3, S2, and S1 from train. The train guard who observed the glitch alerted the pilot."
He further added, "Within 20 minutes, the decoupled coaches were attached. A brief technical intervention by concerned officials has also taken place after the train reached Renigunta junction. The train ran more than an hour late."
The serious lapse has caused a lot of inconvenience to the passengers. Venkatadri Express is a regular train from Kacheguda, Hyderabad's busiest station. It is aimed at accommodating the journey of pilgrims to the Tirumala Tirupati temple. It was reported that most of the passengers were devotees who are visiting the temple.
Earlier Venkatadri Express used to run between Kacheguda and Tirupati, now it's commute has been extended till Chittoor.