Tension prevailed for a short while near the Pattabiram railway station early Sunday after the engine of a train hit a concrete slab lying near the tracks. The engine passed without damage and railway officials said it was an accident.
Sources with the Southern Railway said that the incident occurred around 2.15 a.m. when a light engine used to shuttle coaches and wagons of goods trains was heading to Chennai Central from Arakkonam Junction.
The sides of the engine hit a cement slab which was of size 4 X 3 feet lying near the level crossing gate at Pattabiram. The noise heard alerted the engine driver Nataraj who sent a message immediately to the Railway control room, sources added.
Railway Police Force (RPF) personnel and senior Railway officials, including the Assistant Security Commissioner of Southern Railway, visited the spot and conducted an investigation into the incident. A sniffer dog was also brought to the scene. However there was no delay in trains passing through the line.
Railway sources said that there were no gangmen patrolling in the area as the surveillance practice has been abandoned for a while now.
Railway officials said that it could have been the work of some miscreants or someone might have accidently dropped the slap near the tracks.
However, no case has been registered about the incident, sources added.
