In a disturbing incident that could have had far more serious consequences, a suspected attempt to derail the Erode-Chennai Central Yercaud Superfast Express (Train No. 22650) was averted late Tuesday night, June 17, near Magudanchavadi railway station in Tamil Nadu’s Salem district, The Hindu reported.
The train, which had departed from Erode Junction at 9:01 p.m., encountered a deliberate obstruction on the tracks around 9:45 PM while passing through Kaligoundampalayam in the Sankari block. Miscreants had allegedly placed a 10-foot-long iron rod, believed to be a section of railway track, directly in the train’s path. As the train struck the object, it dragged the heavy metal for nearly 300 metres, severely damaging the locomotive.
Miraculously, all passengers on board, including three judges of the Madras High Court, escaped unhurt. However, the brake lining of the engine jammed during the collision, rendering the locomotive inoperable.
Upon halting, the loco pilots conducted a quick inspection and discovered the iron rail lodged underneath the engine. Immediate alerts were sent out, prompting swift response from officials of the Salem Railway Division, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel, and local police from Magudanchavadi, who rushed to the scene.
Railway authorities promptly dispatched a replacement engine from Erode. After the obstruction was cleared and the new engine attached, the train resumed its journey at 11:45 PM, over two hours later than scheduled.
The Yercaud Express eventually reached Salem Railway Junction with a delay of 2 hours and 19 minutes, and finally pulled into MGR Chennai Central station at 7:30 AM on Wednesday, running 3 hours and 50 minutes behind schedule. Several other trains were also affected due to the disruption.
The police have launched a formal investigation to trace those behind the attempt, and railway officials have confirmed that an internal inquiry is underway to assess the breach and prevent future sabotage.
