One of the six traction motors of the electric locomotive hauling the 12623 Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram Express snapped and fell on the track near Wadakanchery railway station on Tuesday morning, disrupting rail traffic and raising questions on the efficacy of the maintenance of rolling stock.
The train came to a grinding halt at 5.20 a.m. soon after it left the railway station. The locopilot informed the station master that the traction motor (TM1) had snapped.
A senior official of Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division said the traction motor, which is connected to axle wheel by direct spur gear meshing and fastened to the bogie frame, got severed and fell down. In the process, the nearby point in the railway track was also damaged.
An Accident Relief Train was rushed from Shoranur junction to the spot as rail traffic on the Thrissur-Shoranur section was disrupted. Using a jack, the electric locomotive was lifted and the snapped traction motor was temporarily fastened using the safety chain by 8.50 a.m. to remove it from track.
Later, the rake commenced journey at 8.55 a.m. towards Thiruvananthapuram Central using another electric locomotive. The Railways had to reschedule the 12624 Thiruvananthapuram-Chennai Express on account of the accident. The stranded locomotive was shifted to the loop line for welding and will be taken to Erode shed.
Railway officials said it was a serious lapse and an incident of a similar nature had not been reported so far. The new electric locomotive is based at Royapuram and was to haul the 12623 from Chennai Central up to Thiruvananthapuram Central.
Divisional Railway Manager Prakash Bhutani said a four-member team of senior officials would conduct an inquiry.
Bengaluru-Kanyakumari Island Express, Chennai-Alappuzha Express, Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram Janshatabdi Express, New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Express,, Nizamudhin-Ernakulam Mangala Express and Amritsar-Kochuveli Express were among the rail services that were disrupted.
