In a narrow escape the engine of Agartala-Sabroom local passenger train derailed in Tripura on Saturday after smashing a stone-laden trolley, which was erroneously left by the workers on the single-line track. No one was hurt in the accident.
At the time of the incident, around 1,000 passengers were on board.
According to the officials the driver of the Sabroom (southern Tripura) bound passenger train saw a stone-laden trolley on the track and he stopped the train at Gautamnagar, near the Bishalghar rail station under the Sepahijala district. However, the trolley got struck in the train and a front wheel of the train engine went off the track.
Railway officials, Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel arrived at the spot, 27 km south of Agartala.
Anxious passengers said that the incident shed light on the “negligence” of both the workers, supervisors and the station master of the Bishalghar railway station.
Passengers raised questions regarding safety protocols and the reasons behind leaving stone-laden trolleys on the rail tracks during train operations.