Rajdhani pilot engine derails in Maoist blast

Passengers travelling in the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express had a close shave when a portion of railway track was blown up between Rafiganj and Gaya station in Bihar.

The explosion occurred shortly before the train was to pass through that section.

Railway sources believe it to be the handiwork of Maoists, who had given a bandh call from midnight of July 22 to protest the police firing in neighbouring Aurangabad district.

A pilot engine running ahead of the Rajdhani derailed, following the explosion on the track. No casualty or injury was reported in the incident. However, the movement of trains on Howrah-Delhi route, passing through Gaya, was paralysed for several hours.

“Though no casualty was reported, many trains, including three Rajdhanis, remained stranded at different stations on Howrah-Delhi section,” said A K Razak, chief public relations officer of the East central Railway here on Wednesday.

It may be recalled that the New Delhi-Dibrugarh Rajdhani Express had derailed last month near Chapra in which four persons were killed and several others seriously injured.