Jaipur-Jodhpur train grinds to halt after engine smoke

Jaipur: Panic gripped passengers aboard the Jaipur-Jodhpur Intercity Express as smoke billowed from the train's engine, approximately 4 km before Gotan station in Rajasthan, on Saturday.

The incident happened around 9.30 a.m., causing panic among passengers, many of whom deboarded.

According to railway officials, the train had departed Jaipur on time at 6:00 a.m. and had already passed Jogi Magra when the engine developed a technical fault.

Emergency brakes were applied by the loco pilot, effectively averting any immediate danger.

A replacement engine was dispatched from Jodhpur, reaching Gotan around noon. The affected train was then pulled back to Jogi Magra station before resuming its journey to Jodhpur at 12:15 p.m.

In the aftermath, multiple other trains on this route experienced temporary halts.

The Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) has ordered a thorough investigation into the engine failure's cause.

A specialised team will assess whether maintenance lapses or other technical factors contributed to the incident.

Railway sources indicated that smoke emerged due to a technical fault in the engine.

The train was halted in time, and a technical team was immediately dispatched to the scene.

Senior railway officials are actively monitoring the situation.

"Train number 22977 Jaipur-Jodhpur Express departed for Jodhpur on Saturday at its scheduled time of 6 a.m. Around 9.30 a.m., this train moved ahead of Jogi Magra. But two to three kilometres before reaching Gotan station, smoke was seen coming out of its engine. On this, the loco pilot immediately stopped the train by applying emergency brakes. Seeing smoke coming out of the engine, there was panic among the passengers in the train, and they got down in panic," said officials.

Further investigation remains ongoing.

(inputs from IANS)