Title - Narrow escape for Duronto passengers

KOLKATA:Passengers on board the 12261 Mumbai-Howrah Duronto Express had a close shave after an AC-III tier coach of the train developed a snag on Monday afternoon.The fault was detected around 3.25pm, while the train was passing Mahalimarup station on the Chakradharpur-Tatanagar section of the South Eastern Railway (SER). S K Goswami, the station manager of Mahalimarup, detected brake-binding under the coach and informed Sini, the next station, where the train was stopped. The train was detained at Sini for over two-and-a-half hour for repair."At Sini, it was detected that the coach had suffered a 'hot axle'. Brake binding alone may not have resulted in an accident but when there is 'hot axle', the set of wheels tend to drag along the tracks. There is possibility of a derailment if the train tries to cross over from one track to the other. It is particularly risky for a high-speed train like the Duronto Express. The mechanical failure must have occurred due to poor maintenance of the coach," an official said.The train was stopped at Sini and the defect was spotted under the third coach from the rear end of the train. The passengers were accommodated in other coaches of the train, before the defective coach was detached for repair. Some passengers insisted zon returning to Howrah by the 12022 Barbil-Howrah Jan Shatabdi Express. This train was thus stopped at Sini and the passengers accommodated. The Duronto Express finally left Sini at 5.55pm.