Close call: Train at 130kmph hits tracks weakened by flood; tilts but doesn't tumble

BHOPAL: A disaster was averted when an express train suddenly lurched and tilted in MPs Morena district as soil under a large stretch of tracks gave way on Saturday morning.

Thankfully, there was just enough to stop the train from toppling over. Though there were many skipped heartbeats on the Chhattisgarh Express (Amritsar to Bilaspur), no casualties were reported.

The incident happened close to the Chambal riverbank, between Morena's Hetampur railway station and Dholpur in Rajasthan. Chhattisgarh Express was travelling at 130 kmph when it hit the weakened track. Passengers were startled by the sudden tilt.

Thankfully, the gateman on site spotted this and immediately notified the station master. He alerted the loco pilot, who applied emergency brakes, bringing the train to a halt.

Railway engineers arrived on scene shortly thereafter. They found that the soil beneath the track had caved in by up to 6 feet.

The train remained stationary for about an hour before being moved at a cautious speed of 1.5 kmph. The tracks are being repaired and trains are restricted to a max speed of 20 kmph.

The collapse is attributed to recent heavy rainfall in the region, which led to soil erosion at two locations on the Morena-Gwalior down track. The affected areas include a section near Chambal river bridge on the Dholpur border and another between pillars 1280/13 and 1280/17, around 2.5 km from Hetampur station.