Concrete placed on rails; Bid to derail train suspected

An express train hit a four-foot long concrete pillar across the track near here with the authorities suspecting it to be a sabotage attempt, police said.

Railway officials found the broken pieces of the pillar on sides of the track after the driver of Chennai-bound Pearl City Express from Tuticorin informed the Station Master of Tirumangalam, about 35 km from here, about a loud noise heard by him Sunday night, they said.

The driver heard the noise near Sivarakottai at around 11.30 pm but did not stop the train.

Police suspect the pillar, used for fencing, might have been placed on a track with a view to derailing the train. However, the pillar broke after it was hit by the cow-catcher of the engine. A case has been registered and an investigation was on.

A sniffer dog, pressed into service, ran along the track for 200 metres but could not give any clue.