Narrow escape for passengers as 2 coaches detach from train

Thiruvananthapuram: In a freak incident at Kollam railway station, two coaches of Sampark Kranthi Express got detached on Monday. The passengers had a narrow escape, as the train was moving at a slow pace.
Train services were disrupted for an hour in the route due to the accident. As automatic brake application system was initiated immediately, the train stopped within seconds of the accident.
Train no. 12217 Sampark Kranthi Kochuveli-Chandigarh Superfast Express started from Kochuveli railway station around 9.30am and reached Kollam railway station at 10.30am.
The incident happened when the train started moving from the station at 10.42am. Coaches 5 and 6 got detached. The detached ones were sleeper coaches.
Sources in the railways said the accident was indeed of serious nature and could have led to derailment if the train had been moving at a high speed. Railways initiated a divisional-level enquiry into the incident. “As the train had started journey from Kochuveli, it will be enquired on how the coaches got detached after covering the distance till Kollam,” said a railway official.
Later, an emergency team arrived at the station to conduct inspection. “No passenger was injured and no damage was noticed on the coaches in the accident. The coaches were reattached and the train resumed journey,” added the railway official.
The train restarted the journey at 11.50am, after a delay of more than one hour. Subsequently, train no. 16382 Cape Mumbai Express and train no. 16345 Netravati Express were delayed by more than one hour.
In a similar incident at Kollam railway station in July 2018, the engine of train no. 56307 Kollam-Thiruvananthapuram passenger got detached after a wheel of the train engine got derailed. Another engine was brought in and it was attached to the coaches before resuming journey.