Rock fort express engine fails

Engine failure delays Rock Fort

The picture for representational purpose only.

Chennai: Tiruchy-bound Rock Fort Express was delayed by over an hour owing to repeated loco failure late Sunday night.

 

Thousands of passengers, particularly families which planned their journey at the nick of the time, hoping to reach their destinations in time to send their kids to schools on Monday, were affected by the 85-minute delay.

 

Starting from Egmore as scheduled at 10.10 pm, the engine of Rock Fort Express first broke down at St Thomas Mount, around 10 km away. 

 

The loco pilot, however, managed to get the engine working after setting right the brake problem himself. Misfortune struck twice again when the engine’s brake jammed at Meenambakkam and Pallavaram. 

 

Finally, the train reached Tambaram after an 85-minute delay at 12.10 am. As the problem recurred at Tambaram, too,the train was halted and engine mechanics swung into action. Attributing the delay to a brake jam, railway sources blamed the loco mechanics of sending a faulty loco for a daily express train.

 

Loco failures have become a regular phenomena on the Egmore-Villupuram route with south-bound express train engines breaking down repeatedly. 

 

However, loco mechanics cited acute staff shortage as reason for frequent engine breakdown.  The mechanics also conceded that they had at times cleared faulty engines as fit for running on the route owing to pressure from higher-ups.