CHENNAI: The Kollam-Egmore Superfast Express train heading towards Egmore escaped from a major accident after a plancha plate was found stuck in the engine in the early morning hours of Saturday.

When nearing Vandalur railway station, the train started to vibrate heavily, which prompted the loco pilot to go on high alert immediately. He then noticed a strange noise from the engine.

Soon he applied the express halt break and alerted the railway staff in Vandalur and Tambaram. The Railway police, along with the railway officials, rushed to the spot and began inspection. They found that there was an object stuck inside the engine at the bottom. When it was taken out, they saw that it was a plancha plate that’s used to link the rail tracks.

Police are investigating whether the plancha plate dropped on the tracks by accident, or if it was placed on the tracks to create a mishap or if any railway workers missed the plate during regular maintenance.

Following the incident, the Kollam Express was halted in Vandalur for around two hours. All express trains, and even the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu EMU services were delayed by a few hours.