Empty railway coaches that ran without engine derail in Tamil Nadu

According to a report by Hindustan Times, seven empty railway coaches suddenly started rolling without an engine from Jolarpettai Junction in Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu. Without any kind of control or engine, these coaches moved forward for about 6 kilometres and derailed near Thameleri Muthur. Due to this accident, train services between Bengaluru and Chennai were severely disrupted.

According to preliminary details, all these seven empty coaches were kept in the coach maintenance yard for repair work. It is alleged that these coaches were pushed by an engine in the yard, but they were not properly secured or controlled by the railway staff, causing them to move forward on their own.

These coaches crossed the limits of the railway yard and ran for about 6 kilometres on the Bengaluru-Jolarpettai main railway route. As soon as the gatekeeper on duty heard the unusual sound of these coaches derailing, he immediately alerted the railway authorities, due to which a major accident was averted. The railway authorities stopped the trains coming from Bengaluru towards Jolarpettai en route so that no collision would occur.

As soon as the incident was reported, railway personnel rushed to the spot immediately and started the work of removing the derailed coaches from the main track. During this operation, gas-cutter equipment was used to separate the coupling of the coaches and JCB machinery was deployed to push the coaches away from the railway tracks.

Due to this mishap, the schedules of several trains running on the Bengaluru-Chennai route were affected and severe difficulties were created in the movement of passengers. It is notable that Jolarpettai Railway Junction is an important railway hub having 16 railway tracks and is also known as the second-largest railway yard in Asia.

Questions have been raised regarding the safety procedures, operational responsibilities, and monitoring system of the Jolarpettai railway yard concerning securing the coaches kept for maintenance work. Regarding this incident, passengers and the general public have demanded a thorough investigation and appropriate action if negligence is proven.