Territorial Army soldiers are checking the damaged railway track at Kambiron in Manipur. (DC Photo)
Kolkata: A major train accident was averted thanks to the swift actions by the Territorial Army (TA) soldiers in Manipur early on Tuesday. A goods train, consisting of 21 wagons of rice, was en-route to Khongsang at Noney district in the north eastern state.
Excessive rainfall in the early hours of the day had washed away the ballast—gravel or crushed stone that supports the railway tracks—between T-14 P2 and T-15 P1. The damage posed a significant risk of track instability and misalignment.
A patrol team of the 107 TA battalion, deployed along the Jiribam-Khongsang railway line, identified the track damage between 5 am and 6 am and promptly alerted the railway authorities about the impending danger.
The railway authorities were immediately informed. The incoming goods train was physically stopped at Kambiron by the TA troopers. Their timely intervention prevented what could have been a major train accident.
The 107 TA battalion is deployed along the stretch of the railway line to provide security for the under-construction mega railway project linking Jiribam to Imphal.
