Averted disaster in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district as vigilant loco pilots prevented potential derailments of the Rajdhani Express and Kathgodam Express.

NEW DELHI: An attempt to derail two passenger trains, including a Rajdhani Express, was thwarted in Uttar Pradesh’s Hardoi district after alert loco pilots spotted obstructions on the tracks, police said on Tuesday. The first incident occurred on Monday evening between Dalelnagar and Umartali stations, where unidentified miscreants tied wooden blocks to the railway line using earthing wires at kilometre marker 1129/14. The loco pilot of Rajdhani Express (20504), heading from Delhi to Dibrugarh, applied the emergency brake after noticing the blocks, removed them and alerted authorities, police added. A similar attempt was made shortly after with the Kathgodam Express (15044), but it too was foiled due to the attentiveness of its loco pilot. Hardoi Superintendent of Police Neeraj Kumar Jadaun visited the site and said that teams from the Government Railway Police, Railway Protection Force, and local police were jointly investigating the case.