Vande Bharat train avoids accident after auto rickshaw found on Kerala track

A potentially serious rail accident was averted late on Tuesday after a Vande Bharat Express train came to an emergency stop on spotting an autorickshaw stranded on the tracks in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram district, railway officials said.

Train No. 20633, operating between Kasaragod and Thiruvananthapuram, was approaching Akathumuri Halt on the Varkala–Kadakkavur section at around 10.10 pm when the loco pilot noticed a road vehicle encroaching on the down line. The pilot immediately applied emergency brakes, bringing the high-speed train to a halt in time.

Officials said the autorickshaw was found abandoned on the track, with no driver or passengers present when railway staff arrived. Teams from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), the engineering department and local police were rushed to the site and cleared the vehicle from the line.

Television footage showed the autorickshaw damaged and lying across the track. After safety checks were completed and the track was declared fit for movement, the Vande Bharat Express resumed its journey at around 11.15 pm.

No injuries or casualties were reported among passengers, members of the public or railway staff. Normal train operations on the section were restored soon after, officials said, adding that the train reached Thiruvananthapuram Central at about 11.50 pm despite the delay.

Railway authorities credited the alertness of the loco pilot with preventing what could have been a major accident.

The RPF later took the autorickshaw’s driver, identified as Sudhi, into custody. Officials said he was suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident, and further investigation is under way.

With PTI inputs