A potential accident was averted on Sunday morning when the loco-pilot of a goods train applied emergency brakes after noticing a gas cylinder on the railway tracks near Prempur station in Uttar Pradesh. The train, which was en route from Kanpur to Prayagraj, came to a halt at 5:50 am after the driver spotted the obstruction.
Officials from the railway department, including the Inspector of Works (IOW), security personnel, and other teams, quickly reached the site. They removed the cylinder, which was found to be empty upon inspection. A probe into the incident has been launched, with authorities treating the discovery with caution. “The matter is being thoroughly investigated,” stated the Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of North Central Railway.
Uttar Pradesh: A goods train going from Kanpur towards Prayagraj was stopped using the emergency brakes after the driver spotted a gas cylinder lying on the tracks, at Prempur Station at 5:50 am today (September 22). Railway IOW (Inspector of work), security and other teams… pic.twitter.com/0zwohXABdt
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2024
This is not the first time such a dangerous situation has occurred. Earlier in the month, the Prayagraj-Bhiwani Kalindi Express narrowly avoided disaster after colliding with an LPG cylinder that had been placed on the tracks. The loco-pilot managed to apply the emergency brakes, and while the train did strike the cylinder, it was pushed off the tracks without causing major damage. Authorities also recovered a Molotov cocktail near the site, sparking concerns of intentional sabotage.
Just weeks before, on August 17, 22 coaches of the Varanasi-Ahmedabad Sabarmati Express derailed after the engine hit an object near Kanpur. The loco-pilot reported it as a boulder on the tracks.
In a separate incident last week, a six-meter-long iron rod was found on the railway tracks between Bilaspur Road and Rudrapur city. Railway authorities suspect sabotage in this case as well, after the loco-pilot managed to stop the train by applying emergency brakes.
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These incidents have raised alarms about the safety and security of railway operations, prompting increased vigilance and further investigations by railway authorities.
