Ujjaini Express Engine Derails: A major railway accident was averted in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand late on Monday night, when the engine and several coaches of Ujjaini Express derailed during shunting near Yoganagari railway station. The incident occurred near Khand village, located at some distance from the station, where the train was being taken towards the maintenance yard. During the accident, a bogie of the train went out of control and hit a pillar, due to which it was badly damaged. The sound of the collision was so loud that there was chaos in the surrounding area and a large number of local people reached the spot.
The train was completely empty at the time of the accident
It was fortunate that the train was empty at the time of the accident. If there were passengers present in the train, this accident could have taken a very catastrophic form. As soon as information about the incident was received, teams of local police, GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) immediately reached the spot and started relief and security operations. Security forces removed the crowd gathered at the spot and secured the area.
Loco pilot was shunting the train
GRP Superintendent of Police Aruna Bharti said that Ujjaini Express was being prepared for the upcoming journey. The loco pilot was shunting the train and during this time the train derailed. In the initial investigation, technical fault in the brake system is considered to be the main reason for the accident. However, some sources have also expressed fear of possible negligence on the part of the loco pilot. The railway administration has constituted an investigation committee to find out the exact cause of the accident.
According to Senior Commercial Manager Mahesh Yadav, the engine and wheels of some coaches had derailed, the work of bringing them back on track is going on rapidly. The damaged coaches have been separated from the main train. Railway officials clarified that the accident occurred not on the main line but in the yard area, hence rail traffic was not affected and all trains continued to operate normally. This incident has once again raised serious questions on the technical safety, maintenance system and monitoring system of the Railways.