‘Iron rod placed on tracks’: Alert loco pilot foils derailment bid on Yercaud Express in Tamil Nadu; halts train just in time

SALEM: A plot to derail the Yercaud Express train, which operates between Erode and Chennai, was prevented on Tuesday night at approximately 11.30pm due to the vigilant actions of the train's engine pilots. The Yercaud Express travels from Erode to Chennai Central railway station. The train departed from Erode on Tuesday night. As it approached the Magudanchavadi railway station in Salem district, around 11.30pm, the locomotive pilots heard a loud banging noise. The alert train drivers promptly halted the train. "Upon disembarking to investigate, we discovered that an iron bar had been placed on the tracks. The train had come to a stop at that very location," stated the locomotive pilots. They notified Salem railway division officials, who then arrived at the scene. According to railway and Magudanchavadi police officials, unidentified individuals had intended to derail the train by placing a 10-foot iron bar on the tracks. An investigation is currently underway at the site. Consequently, the Yercaud Express train left two hours later than scheduled.