On Tuesday night, passengers of the Dibrugarh- Howrah Kamrup Express escaped a serious mishap by a whisker when the loco of the train was detached nanoseconds from Dibrugarh Railway Station in Assam while the train was only a few kilometres away. The occurrence was reported at about 8:30 PM and was later determined to have been caused by a technical glitch, sources from the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) said.
Railway Employees Handle Engine Issue
Nevertheless, due to the urgent situation, effective management of the occurrence was conducted by the train loco pilots and their technical squad. According to the report, the engine of the train caught fire, and the train was crossing the Gomati River bridge and speeding towards Howrah in West Bengal when the engine disembarked rapidly. When the loco pilots realized the detachment, they continued to operate the engine, which consequently caused the train to decrease its speed. After several kilometres, the train was able to safely come to a halt, and no one from the passengers was harmed.
In comments made to NFR, the managing directors stressed that due to early reactions of the loco pilots and the technical team, a big mishap was averted. The early intervention by the technical team ensured that the situation was managed to the best of their abilities, thus reducing the possibility of any danger to the passengers on board.
Rapid Response
In his reaction, Sabyasachi De, the Chief Public Relations Officer of NFR, said that the scrapping was curtailed within an hour. Thus, by around 9:30 PM, the necessary work was done, and the train could continue with the tour. The quick conclusion prevented many of the passenger’s travel plans from being affected; the train got to Howrah on Wednesday morning.
This case explains how timely detection and subsequent action could help prevent railway disasters. The failure that saw the engine come off the plane in its flight is still under probe to avoid such incidences in the future. The NFR has been responsive enough to deal with the problem and fully secure the passengers.
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