JCB trips on train at Muttom

Kochi: A major mishap was averted when a mini road roller engaged in land filling activities for the Kochi Metro at Pulinchodu near Muttom turned turtle and fell on the nearby tracks before being hit by the coaches of the moving Karaikal Express. The incident occured at 11.40 pm on Tuesday when the Ernakulam-Karaikal (T No 16188) Express just passed the Kalamassery Junction.

“The road roller while falling down from the adjacent land hit an electric pole before banging into the coaches. A major mishap was averted as the train engine had already passed the spot and the road roller banged only into the sides of the coach. Otherwise it would have resulted in a derailment,” a senior railway official said. The footboard of a total of 10 coaches were damaged. The Overhead Electric Line (OHE) was also damaged, disrupting rail traffic through the Upline for over three hours.

“Considering the seriousness of the incident, the railways have ordered a probe into the incident. The Karaikal Express was halted at Chalakudy for inspection by a Mechanical team and it finally resumed the journey at 2.35 am on Wednesday,” the official said. The railway was quick to deploy its workmen and the OHE was restored at 2.25 am when the train service through the section was restored.

“Luckily no one was injured. However, trains including Ernakulam-Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express, Maveli Express, Mangalore Express and Quilon-Chennai Central Special were delayed by upto two hours,” he said.  A metro official said the JCB was engaged in landfilling activities as part of the station construction works at Pulinchodu. “We’ll take action against the contractor as the work was done at night without our permission,” he said.