Shatabdi runs with broken wheel

Miraculous escape for 300 passengers as it was moving at 110km per hour

New Delhi: Passengers aboard the Ajmerbound Shatabdi Express from New Delhi had a lucky escape on Monday after the super-fast train chugged on nearly eight kilometres at 110km per hour on a broken wheel.

The 300-odd passengers on board the train included foreign tourists.

The broken wheel was brought to the notice of a railway official at Bobas railway station, around 40km from Jaipur, by gateman Kaluram when he saw smoke rising and heard an awkward sound coming from the train.

When the train was crossing Bobas at around 11.35am, he saw the smoke and heard a sound, realising that something was wrong in its running.

He immediately reported it to assistant station master Ramavtar. However, before Ramavtar could grasp the situation and do something, the train crossed the station.

He immediately informed railway superintendent Kaluram Meena at the next station, Asalpur-Jobner, who stopped the train.

Engineers and other officials then reached the spot to trace the fault. A safety check-up revealed that half a wheel attached to its generator car van was broken. The damaged wheel was replaced at Asalpur-Jobner before the train was allowed to move forward. The train, however, had to be halted for about two hours while the repair was carried out.

North-western Railway spokesperson Tarun Jain said that a panel has been formed to look into the lapse and to establish responsibility.

Sources said that it is customary to put the wheels through an ultrasonic check that can detect even a minor crack. Moreover, an intensive check of the Shatabdi Express is carried out in Delhi before its departure.