Mishap averted near Chennai after officials find bolts removed from rail tracks
A potential disaster was narrowly averted near Chennai early Friday morning when officials discovered that multiple bolts had been removed from a track-changing mechanism on the fast UP line, used by trains heading towards the main terminus.During a routine inspection at 1.15 am, a railway official noticed missing critical nuts and bolts from the point machine — a device that controls track alignment — near Thiruvalangadu railway station. This area in northern Tamil Nadu is part of the Chennai-Arakkonam-Bengaluru railway corridor, a crucial and busy route.advertisementThe official promptly informed higher authorities, triggering a swift response from a technical team. Initial findings revealed that two nuts and bolts had been removed from the fast UP line and one nut and bolt from the slow UP line (track used by passenger or local trains that stop at many stations), raising serious safety concerns. The fast UP line had last been used at 11:30 pm, and a train was scheduled to pass shortly after the alert.
Officials suspect that the bolts were deliberately removed by miscreants, as such displacements are not typical during regular operations.A major accident was avoided due to the automated safety system, which activated a red warning light on the station master's panel at Thiruvalangadu. Acting swiftly on the warning, the station master withheld the green signal, forcing the incoming train to stop. Had the signal been cleared, the train could have been diverted onto a loop line, increasing the risk of derailment and potentially repeating the Kavarapettai incident from October 2024.advertisementOn October 11, 2024, the Bagmati Express, travelling at high speed, passed a green signal intended for the main line but was instead diverted onto the loop line, where it collided with a stationary goods train. The collision derailed about 13 coaches and left several passengers injured. A parcel-cum-power car caught fire from the impact. Timely emergency braking by the loco pilot likely prevented further casualties, as suggested in the preliminary report by the Commissioner of Railway Safety.
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