Title - Engine reaches destination, 7 coaches left behind

Lucknow, July 9, 2012, DHNS: In a bizarre incident, seven carriages of a train bound for Baharaich railway station on the Gonda-Mailani section of the North-Eastern Railway had disengaged from the engine and a carriage, leaving nearly 500 passengers stranded for hours at Gullabeer in Uttar Pradesh.

The 52256Bareilly-Gonda passenger train, which was running two hours behind schedule, had left Risia railway station and split into two at Gullabeer when fastening on the front coach loosened.

The 500 passengers in the seven coaches left standing on the tracks on Sunday afternoon initially took it for a technical fault, but realised later that the engine had carried on with just a single coach linked to its back.

“We had no idea that we had been left behind. We thought that the train might have come to a halt because of some technical problem or lack of signal'', said a passenger.

The train’s driver realised the issue only after reaching Baharaich railway station, about five kilometres from the spot and contacted the guard through walky-talky.

He was told that seven coaches had been left stranded.

The engine was driven back to the spot with a technical team and the coaches were refastened for the continuation of the journey.

Passengers eventually reached their destination after four hours.

Baharaich station superintendent M A Siddique said that the train later left for Gonda.

Senior officials of the railway had been informed about the incident, he added.

Movement of trains on the section was affected for several hours because of the incident.