The incident occurred near the Magudanchavadi railway station in Salem district at around 9.45pm, after the metal object was dragged for 300 meters before the train came to a full halt. The first passenger coach after the engine also tilted off track but all passengers have been reported to be safe.
Upon inspections, the locomotive pilots on the train identified the object to be a metal fragment of the railway track, raising a suspicion of sabotage. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) was informed and aid was sent. Due to severe damage to the engine, a new one was brought from Erode to ferry the train to Chennai. Following this, the train departed at 11.45pm, causing delays to several other trains en-route.
“Initially we thought the halt was due to a red signal but later we were told there was an accident. Thankfully the ACs were working but we were worried because the halt occurred for over two hours,” said Lavanya Ramasamy, a passenger. The train, which was initially scheduled to arrive in Chennai at 3.40am, reached the station at 7.30am instead.
The police stated that investigations have commenced to find the miscreants and apprehend them for the “attempted derailment”.
