The front trolley of the Puri-Surat Express' engine got derailed after it hit an elephant in Odisha's Sambalpur district early on Monday.
The train, which was moving at a speed of 50km per hour along an elephant corridor, hit the tusker at 2.04 am near Bhabanipali village, between Hatibari and Maneswar railway stations. No one on-board the train was hurt, said the officials.
The train subsequently retreated to Hatibari, and the old engine was replaced with a new one. Light refreshments were provided to the passengers, as officials took time to clear the tracks.
The Puri-Surat Express finally left Hatibari at 7.24 am, the ECoR official said, adding that the movement of two other trains—Puri-Durg Express and Koraput-Bhubaneswar Special—were affected due to the mishap.
Both railways and state forest department officials probing the incident, said railway officials here.