Coaches of Rajdhani uncouple on bridge, none hurt

Bhubaneswar: Two coaches of the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express got detached from each other while the train was crossing the Kathajodi rail bridge near Cuttack station on Tuesday. Nobody was injured, sources said.
The incident occurred at 9.50 am, 20 minutes after the train commenced its journey from the originating station of Bhubaneswar. It was crossing the rail bridge over the Kathajodi river, around 2.5 km away from Cuttack station, when the B3 coach got detached from the B4 coach. The loco pilot immediately stopped the train.

As a result of the uncoupling, the engine was left attached to the B1, B2 and B3 coaches, while those from B4 to B11, pantry car, A1, A2, H1 and first AC coach remained on the bridge, leading to some panic among the passengers.

Mechanical staff attached the separated coaches at 10.40 am and ran the train safely till Cuttack station, where it was given a once-over by senior officers from the Bhubaneswar coach maintenance depot. “They decided to detach and replace the B3 and B4 coaches of the train with two other coaches brought to Cuttack from Bhubaneswar. As many as 39 passengers of the B3 coach and 20 of B4 were moved to the newly attached coaches,” East Coast Railway (ECoR) sources said.

The train resumed its journey from Cuttack station at 2.15 pm.

Brajmohan Agarwal, divisional railway manager, Khurda Road, ordered a senior officer-level inquiry into the matter. The report will be submitted within 48 hours. “The reason for the uncoupling will be known after the inquiry is over. Strict action will be taken against the staff if we find any negligence,” he added.

The ECoR denied reports of the engine moving ahead without the coaches.