New Delhi, March 31 An unusual lateral shift in the track may have caused the derailment of the last of the 18-coach Shahdol-Nagpur Express in Madhya Pradesh's Seoni district on March 13, a preliminary railway investigation said.
The incident, which could have turned into a major tragedy had the loco pilot not applied the brakes in time, occurred around noon when the wheels of the rearmost coach, also known as the seating-cum-luggage rake (SLR), went off the tracks near Khairranji-Gangatola on the Nainpur-Chhindwara-Nagpur section of the South East Central Railway (SECR).
Although no passenger was injured, the incident caused delays in train operations on the route.
"After reviewing the statements of the crew, observations at the site, and track readings, the apparent cause of the derailment appears to be the lateral shifting of the track," a joint note prepared by four officials said.
One of the officials also noted that the loco pilot, in his statement, said the locomotive crossed the derailment spot under normal conditions.
The report said that after the train departed from Nainpur at 12.01 pm and while it was crossing Khairranji, the train manager, who occupied the last coach, felt a sudden jolt, fell from his chair, and noticed a large cloud of dust behind the train.
It added that the train manager applied the emergency brake and also informed the loco pilot via walkie-talkie to stop the train. The last coach was dragged for 905 meters before the train came to a halt.
Experts said that when rails and sleepers move sideways from their original alignment due to factors such as high lateral loads, thermal forces, or weak lateral resistance from the ballast bed, it can cause lateral track shift.
"It is the responsibility of the track maintenance department to regularly monitor lateral shifting of tracks, as this can lead to major accidents," an expert said.