LOCOMOTIVE OF AHMEDABAD EXPRESS DERAILS -- ALERT LOCO PILOT AVERTS DAMAGE

LOCOMOTIVE OF AHMEDABAD EXPRESS DERAILS -- ALERT LOCO PILOT AVERTS DAMAGE

LOCOMOTIVE OF AHMEDABAD EXPRESS DERAILS--

ALERT LOCO PILOT AVERTS DAMAGE

Kolkata, Sept.3, 2014 :

INCIDENT :

While 12834 Howrah-Ahmedabad Express was passing between Sonakhan & Sagra stations in the Rourkela-Jharsuguda section of Chakradharpur Division of South Eastern Railway(in the Sundargarh District of Odisha), o­ne trolley of the locomotive of the train got derailed at Km 455/11-13 at about 7.30 a.m. this morning(Wednesday 3.9.14).

NO INJURY/CASUALTY

Due to this derailment, there was NO INJURY OR CASUALTY to the TRAVELLING PASSENGERS.ALL PASSENGERS ARE SAFE.

CAUSE

The site where the derailment had occurred has a rocky & hilly terrain and the railway track has been constructed o­n a “cutting”.

The prima facie cause of the derailment has been ascertained due to falling of boulders o­n the track from the adjacent rocky cliff and the subsequent hitting of the boulder by the locomotive of the train.

RELIEF/RESTORATIONOPERATIONS

The train was pulled back to the rear station Sonakhan by another locomotive after clearing the track of the boulders under the coaches.The train was thereafter run out by the DN line by single line working towards its destination.The train started back from the site at 9.45 a.m. for Sonakhan and then restarted towards Ahmedabad at 11.15 a.m.

Care was taken to inspect the rake at Sonakhan station by the railway staff.The train examination staff at Jharsuguda also checked it for the second time.Officers of Chakradharpur Division from Chakradharpur & Rourkela rushed to the site of the derailment.Concerned Officers from the SER Headquarters also proceeded towards the site. Two Accident Relief Trains from Bondamunda(near Rourkela) & Jharsuguda also reached the site.

The loco was rerailed at 11.55 a.m. and track was given fit at 12.35 p.m. after thorough inspection of the site by engineers.

It may be mentioned that this train had left Howrah at 23.55 Hrs. o­n 2.9.14.

ALERTNESS OF LOCO PILOT

The loco pilot of 12834 Howrah-Ahmedabad Express Shri S.D.Ekka and Assistant Loco Pilot Shri Ashok Kumar spotted the boulder blocking the track when the train was approaching the site.The Loco Pilot immediately applied the brakes due to which the impact of the hit was minimized substantially and o­nly the front trolley of the loco got derailed.All the coaches of the train were o­n track and there was no damage to them or to the passengers.

REPURCUSSION

Apart from detention to the Ahmedabad Express, 3 mail/express trains and 3 passenger trains got detained at various stations ranging from 30 minutes to 90 minutes.