Major rail accident averted in Alappuzha

A compartment of the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam passenger train which got split into two parts horizontally, sits pressed agasint the rails at the Alappuzha railway station on Thursday. Photo: Special Arrangement.

A major rail accident was averted in the Ernakulam-Kayamkulam passenger near Alappuzha railway station. The upper part of the bogey had got partially disloged from the underframe as the train was about to halt at Alappuzha station around 11.30 a.m. Eight persons, including women in the bogey were safe. No one was hurt in the incident.

The second bogey from the train engine which houses the luggage room on both its end was involved in the accident. The rusting of the parts is the reason behind the incident, as per primary investigations. Traffic was disrupted for more than an hour. The passenger train however resumed its journey around 12.40 p.m. leaving behind three bogeys including the ill-fated bogey at the Station. Ernakulam-bound Nethravathi Express passed through the station after a 20 minute delay.

Railway authorities said that they were focusing on resuming the traffic on the route. The other issues, including investigation into the incident, will be addressed later.

The details on the dislodged bogey showed that the last Periodic Over Haul (POH) was conducted on May 13, 2011 and the next repair was overdue on December this year.