Alert locopilots stop train going in the wrong direction in Chennai Division

Alert locopilots prevented a potential tragedy by stopping an express train going in the wrong route to a different destination in Chennai Division on the night of June 28, 2026.

According to official sources, the incident occurred last Sunday after Train No. 17654 Puducherry-Kacheguda Express departed the Arakkonam railway station. While the signal was cleared for the train to proceed towards Renigunta, the point was set for the Katpadi line.

Realising the train with about 900 passengers on board was running in the wrong direction, the locopilots slammed the brakes and brought it to a halt. Wireless communication confirmed that the train had entered the wrong track. The locopilots, after alerting the Station Manager, rolled the train back to Arakkonam, the sources said. 

The incident took place on a day when Southern Railway had completed the multi-crore remodelling of the Arakkonam yard project, which, Railway officials said, would facilitate ease of operating trains and reduction of running time from Arakkonam and Chennai. 

The sources said the signal and points were being manually operated due to ongoing works in the section. Though the signal was cleared for the express train to proceed towards Arakkonam, the point was set to the other track heading to Katpadi.

An investigation has been ordered into the wrong routing of the ground track, as it was a serious compromise on safety. The Arakkonam-Katpadi is a busy section on the Chennai-Bengaluru sector. Had the locopilots not sensed trouble and stopped the train, the possibility of an accident could not have been ruled out, the sources said.

However, there was no formal statement by the Railways on the incident. 

Signalling issues 

Wrong signalling and point issues have emerged as a challenge for the Indian Railways in the last three years following major accidents in different railway zones. 

In the devastating multi-collision involving the Shalimar-Chennai Coromandel Superfast Express and two other trains on June 2, 2023, the signal for the speeding train (Coromandel Express) was cleared for the main line, but the point was set to the loop line. The train collided with a goods train, which left 290 passengers dead and about 900 others injured. The Central Bureau of Investigation is probing the case. 

In April this year, the Indian Railways ordered an audit of signalling systems across its network to rectify deficiencies and improve overall reliability of the critical assets for ensuring safety of train operations. 

General Managers of all Zonal Railways were told that it was essential to ensure the quality of newly commissioned installations and periodically review the existing/old systems to assess their reliability.