More than 1,000 passengers on board Kannur/Karwar-Bengaluru Express had a miraculous escape when the train engines brushed past a boulder and skidded off track after the loco pilot applied emergency brakes early on Monday near Sakleshpur.
Two engines, two general class coaches and one sleeper coach came off the track and remained short of falling near Arebetta between Shiribagilu and Yedakumeri stations at 2.10 a.m.
There were no injuries or casualties.
About 150 metres of the track that had been damaged was restored by 9.50 a.m., after which train operations resumed.
The derailment spot was far away from the mainland and was almost inaccessible by road. The intact coaches were hauled down the Ghat to Subrahmanya Road station by the back engine, and the train was diverted via Mangaluru Junction and Palakkad to Bengaluru. This was done within two hours by South Western Railway (SWR), said Titus Antony Peris Bhatt, a PG student travelling to Mysuru. Train no. 16517/16523, that left Bengaluru on Sunday night, was terminated at Sakleshpur.
The Mysuru Division of SWR arranged about 25 KSRTC buses towards Mangaluru, Karwar and Puttur for passengers of this train, according to Divisional Railway Manager Raj Kumar Lal, who visited the spot after the incident.
Mr. Lal told The Hindu that the timely action by the loco pilot averted a major mishap. Despite routine night patrolling on the track, the presence of the boulder was a mystery, he said.
Trains cancelled
Train No. 16515 Yeswantpur-Karwar Day Express was cancelled on Monday so as its pairing train 16516 Karwar-Yeswantpur Day Express on Tuesday, said a release.
While services of Train No. 16517/523 Bengaluru-Kannur/Karwar Express was as per schedule on Monday night, Train No. 16518/524 Kannur/Karwar-Bengaluru Express would run only between Mangaluru and Bengaluru. Its services between Karwar-Mangaluru and Kannur-Mangaluru had been cancelled.
