Koppal
The Karatagi-Yeshwanthpur train derailed near Karatagi railway station at around 12 noon on Tuesday. Hundreds of passengers on board the train escaped unhurt due to the punctuality of the driver.
The loco pilot immediately woke up to the fact that the front wheel of the engine had derailed due to technical reasons and immediately reduced the speed to zero and averted the danger. As a result, only the engine of the train derailed and the coaches were standing on the track. The loco pilot was able to control the train as the speed of the train was reduced as it was close to the railway station.
The incident took place when the train, which was on its way from Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru, was approaching Karatagi railway station. There were more than 100 passengers in the train. But fortunately, no one was harmed.
A crane has been brought from Hospet to bring the derailed train back on track and the operation will last for about 4-5 hours. Traffic between Karatagi and Bengaluru in the evening is likely to be cancelled. Train services scheduled to run from Karatagi to Hubli at 2.15 pm have been suspended due to the derailment, station officials said.
The engine of train number 16545 Yeshwantpur-Karatagi Express derailed at Karatagi station and work is in progress. Senior railway officials, including the South Western Divisional Railway Manager, are camping at the spot. Trains plying between Gangavati and Karatagi have been partially cancelled due to the derailment.
