TIRUCHI
Rail traffic in the Tiruchi-Madurai and Tiruchi-Rameswaram broad gauge sections were hit for a few hours on Wednesday morning after the diesel locomotive hauling the Chennai-bound Pallavan Express from Karaikudi derailed while entering Tiruchi railway junction.
The derailment led to the detention of the superfast train for over three hours at Tiruchi besides affecting movement of eight passenger and express trains. Although it is suspected that the derailment could have been caused due to rail fracture, the railway administration has ordered a high-level inquiry to probe the exact cause and find out the deficiencies.
The incident took place at 6.27 a.m. when the 24-coach Pallavan Express was entering Tiruchi Junction. Railway sources told The Hindu that the front wheels of the ‘EMD’ type high-horsepower diesel locomotive hauling the express train derailed at point no. 147 resulting in the detention of the train.
There was no injury to any passenger due to the derailment. The divisional authorities arranged for food and water to the passengers, said a senior official.
The derailment kept the officials of different departments of Tiruchi railway division on their toes. Teams of officials from the mechanical department immediately rushed to the spot to carry out the restoration works armed with necessary paraphernalia.
It took over two hours for the technical teams to complete the restoration works using re-railing equipment. The derailed wheels of the locomotive was re-railed at around 8.45 a.m. after which the train was moved to the platform.
A portion of the broad gauge track which had suffered damage due to the derailment was also set right and cleared for operation of regular rail traffic. The diesel locomotive was detached from the formation upon arrival at the platform and the express train was attached with an electric locomotive at Tiruchi Junction for its onward journey.
The express train left Tiruchi at 10.05 a.m. suffering delay of three hours and 20 minutes. Divisional Railway Manager, Tiruchi P. Uday Kumar Reddy told 'The Hindu' that a high-level inquiry would be conducted to ascertain the cause of the derailment.
Top officials from different departments including those from safety and mechanical would conduct the inquiry, he added. Due to the derailment, the Chennai - bound Vaigai express from Madurai was detained at Dindigul Junction and arrived late at Tiruchi. It left Tiruchi 95 minutes behind scheduled time of departure.
Trains affected
The Tiruchi - Thiruvananthapuram Intercity Express left two-and-half hours late from here. The Tiruchi- Rameswaram passenger left three hours and 15 minutes late from here, while the Karaikudi - Tiruchi passenger was detained enroute and arrived one-and-half hours late at Tiruchi.
The Tiruchi - Chennai Cholan express left 25 minutes behind scheduled time of departure. The Tiruchi - Manamadurai passenger left 55 minutes late from here. The Dindigul - Tiruchi passenger was regulated enroute and reached over two hours behind scheduled time of arrival at Tiruchi.
The Cuddalore Port - Tiruchi passenger also arrived late by over 30 minutes, said a Southern Railway press release. Another release said the Chennai Egmore – Karaikkudi Pallavan express was rescheduled to leave Chennai Egmore at 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday due to late running of pairing train.
Similarly, the Chennai Egmore – Madurai Vaigai express was rescheduled to leave Chennai Egmore at 5 p.m. due to late running of pairing train.
