Goods train splits near Agra

An accident was averted on Tuesday when rear wagons of a goods train got detached near here, blocking the tracks and delaying a dozen passenger trains.

The goods train was headed to Jalgaon in Maharashtra when the bizarre incident took place between Agra Cantt and Bhandai stations at around 8.30 a.m., the office of the Divisional Railway Manager here said.

"The driver never came to know that some coaches had got detached," said a railway source. "The front portion of the goods train went ahead. The detached coaches became stationary, blocking the tracks."

One official said the railways were lucky that the incident took place during the day because everyone noticed the detachment.

The passenger trains which got delayed in the process included the Taj Express and Swarna Jayanti Express. The trains were held up at Mathura, Billochpura and Agra Cantt stations for over two hours.