In a bizarre incident, the engine and three bogies of a running train got separated from the remaining around 20 bogies and travelled a few kilometres in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday.

Netravati Express train (Train no. 16,346) from Thiruvananthapuram central to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus met with the incident. No major mishaps occurred as the train just started and running only at a low speed. A probe is on into the incident to find if there were any lapses in the coupling process, said a Railways spokesperson.

The train, with around 20 bogies, departed from Thiruvananthapuram central by around 9.30 a.m. Within a few kilometres, the connection between the third and fourth bogies got detached and the engine and three bogies proceeded further and stopped near the next station, which was only a few kilometres away.

Railway spokesperson said that technical experts immediately reconnected the bogies and the train resumed journey after properly checking the couplings. The train got delayed by around one hour.

A similar incident reportedly occurred at Kollam district recently. Lapses on the part of the mechanical team involved in coupling could be the reason, said railway sources.