Decade-long safety procedures put in place by the Railways helped avoid a repeat of a major train accident in Bihar in which over 100 passengers lost their lives in 2002.
Railway authorities on Wednesday said a blast derailed a solitary engine, but saved the lives of many passengers in the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani that was following it. This pilot engine system was introduced after the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani jumped tracks in 2002 and careened into a rivulet.
The accident had set off a controversy with Central authorities claiming a Maoist hand while the State government blamed the Railways for negligent patrolling of the tracks during the monsoon season. In order to avert recurrence of such mishaps, especially on the sensitive Gomoh-Mughalsarai section, the Railways introduced the pilot engine system.
The Railways and the State government said Maoists blasted a portion of the track between Ismailpur and Rafiganj section in Bihar late on Tuesday night.
No casualty was however reported.
