Ahmedabad: A major accident was narrowly avoided on Sunday night when the loco-pilot of the Veraval–Sabarmati Vande Bharat Express spotted a 20-foot-long iron angle placed on the railway track between Chandlodia B Panel and Khodiyar railway lines. Acting swiftly, the pilot applied the emergency brakes and successfully brought the train to a halt.

Later, an FIR was filed at Ghatlodia Police Station by Senior Section Engineer Bhagwat Behera, stationed at Khodiyar Railway Station under Western Railway’s Ahmedabad Division.

According to initial details, the Railway Engineering Control Room had alerted Bhagwat that an iron angle had been found on the track and was removed by the loco-pilot before the train resumed its journey. The object—a yellow and green iron angle typically used in railway fencing—was found bent on both sides and placed strategically across the track near a pillar. The Vande Bharat pilot immediately noticed it and, with help from the co-pilot, removed the obstruction. The train resumed its journey after a brief delay of around nine minutes.

Ghatlodia police have launched a probe and filed a case against unidentified individuals. Investigators suspect the object was deliberately placed to cause a derailment. Railway authorities are also involved in the investigation. DeshGujarat