KOCHI: A railway accident was averted on Saturday as a routine check revealed a crack on the underframe axle of the New Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Express at Ernakulam Junction railway station.
The crack was detected during a rolling-in check-up at 10:15 am and was immediately brought to the attention of senior officials. Thereafter, the train was deemed unfit for service and the coach was detached. Once the passengers were shifted to different coaches, the train resumed its journey after a 90-minute delay.
The crack was found below coach S4, which had around 30 passengers. A rolling-in check-up is conducted routinely before trains leave the station.Railways area manager and station director R Harikrishnan said that check-up will be conducted at all major stations, including Ernakulam Junction.
According to M R Sreevalsan, senior section engineer (C&W) at Ernakulam Junction, “If it had been a small crack, I would have permitted the train to run at a limited speed, but this crack was big and could have developed rapidly and may have caused danger.”
Rajeev, an eyewitness, told ‘Express’ that as soon as the defect was identified, the officials were asked not to issue the brake power certificate, which certifies that the train is fit for running. “The passengers were cooperative even though there was a major delay in the schedule,” he said.
The Railways has been under the scanner for using old and worn-out coaches for service. But engineers in charge claim that the trains undergo service every six months.“The bogie has been detached and send to the workshop for metallurgical tests, only then we will know the exact cause for the crack,” said Sreevalsan.