Railway official says the same model was involved in the mishap that occurred at Churchgate in June, when a local had rammed into the buffer and half of the first coach had crashed onto the platform
It looks like the 4000 series rakes have become a bane for the Western Railway (WR). The quality and durability of these rakes has come into question, as they are now part of two major accidents that occurred in the last four months.
Read Story: WR services disrupted as train derails between Andheri and Vile Parle
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While the first one occurred at Churchgate in June, when a Churchgate-bound local had crashed into the platform, the second was yesterday’s derailment. “In both the cases, rakes belonging to the 4000 series were involved. However, it could be a sheer coincidence,” said a WR official.
Commenting on yesterday’s mishap, Shailendra Kumar, Divisional Railway Manager (Mumbai), WR, said prima facie it appeared that an external infringement or something from the train had come onto the track, leading to the derailment.
The Churchgate-bound local that crashed into the buffer at Churchgate station on June 28 was also from the 4000 series. file pic
Seven coaches of the Virar-Churchgate fast train derailed near the Parle biscuit factory yesterday. The train was apparently moving at a speed of 60 kmph.
Possibilities
Sources in the WR said officials who inspected the spot seem to have shortlisted a few possibilities for the mishap. The first is the discovery of marks on the clips that hold the tracks and sleepers. These marks were found about 200 metres before the spot where the derailment occurred.
Also Read: Coach derails, services affected on Harbour Line
Sources added officials are also speculating the possibility of a foreign object getting dragged by the train onto the tracks. Another theory is about a possible obstruction in the track, which resulted in the derailment.
The last theory is that there might have been a faulty crossover where the derailment occurred. In a past incident, a single coach of a Bandra-CST local had derailed on a crossover where the tracks curved.
Presence of mind
It was B Vishwanath, motorman of a Borivli-bound train, who saw dust and smoke emanating from the Virar-Churchgate local and immediately alerted its motorman by flashing a distress signal. The motorman then skilfully applied the brakes, preventing further damage to the derailed train.
Sachin Sawant, one of the commuters on the Virar-Churchgate train, said the damage would have been severe had the motorman applied the brakes suddenly.
Aftermath
While the derailed coaches were cleared with the help of a 140-tonne crane by 2 pm, services on fast and slow lines remained affected for the rest of the day. Almost 40 per cent of the 1,310 services were cancelled. With crowds swelling at the platforms, trains had to carry beyond their capacity.
Watch video: Mumbai train crashes into platform at Churchgate station
Commuters were seen struggling to alight or board the overcrowded trains, as seven to eight people were travelling on footboards of every compartment. With fast trains diverted onto the slow line, services were running at least 10 minutes behind schedule.
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