A train collided with a truck between Carmelaram and Heelalige railway stations near Bengaluru on Monday, September 20. The incident happened at around 8.30 pm on Monday, when the truck trespassed onto the railway track in the area and was hit by the Mysore-Mayiladuthurai Express. While there were no casualties reported, the traffic along the route was halted for a few hours.
The train, which was carrying nearly 1,400 passengers, was heading towards Hosur when the accident took place. There is no information as to how the truck driver managed to get the vehicle onto the tracks. The Divisional Railway Manager Shyam Singh, a railway medical team and senior officials rushed to the spot in an Accident Relief Train deputed by the railways in case of such incidents.
Speaking to TNM, Aneesh Hedge, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of South Western Railway, said that the loco pilot of the train showed presence of mind and applied the brakes as soon as he spotted the truck on the tracks. Since the train runs at a high speed, in spite of him applying emergency brakes, the train collided with the truck, he added.
“There is no information on how the truck got on the track as there is no level crossing there; only an underpass at the location is used to travel. We have filed an FIR with the Government Railway Police, who are now investigating the case,” said Hegde. He mentioned that the truck was empty at the time of the incident and that the driver was absconding.
The CPRO also said that the locomotive’s engine suffered minor damages due to the collision. “By midnight, we were able to repair the damages and by 1.10 am, all the other trains that came to halt were operational,” he added.
A similar mishap was prevented on September 12, when a train was passing an open level crossing near the Yelahanka-Bangarpet section in Bengaluru. According to a Times of India report, the loco pilot of the engine honked to alert the motorists of the approaching train and eventually slowed down past the level crossing. In the report, officials said that no passenger or goods trains were being run on the line except maintenance machines and trains carrying ballast material. The railways launched a probe into the incident.