A loco engine parked at the Ernakulam Junction Railway Station rolled over around 25 metres and derailed on Monday afternoon, giving rise to suspicion that it was part of a sabotage attempt.
Railway officials have sought a police investigation into the incident, since it is extremely rare for the wooden skid attached to the track to prevent engine/train from rolling away to fall off. The Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police have launched a probe.
The engine was meant to be attached to the Ernakulam-Patna Express and was parked between platforms five and six.
The derailed engine was put back on the track by 8 p.m. by a team from the Railway’s engineering wing, sources said.
Another possibility, though remote, is that the skid might have fallen off owing to constant vibrations on the track when trains moved along nearby lines which are interlinked.
The engine’s pneumatic brake cannot be relied on, since it might not be effective when air pressure falls after a few hours of parking.
Gradient to blame?
The steep gradient at the spot where the engine was parked made matters worse, and it rolled down when the skid fell off the track, sources said.
