Close shave: Shatabdi express chugs on nearly 8 km on a broken wheel!

The broken wheel was brought to the notice of a railway official at Bobas railway station, around 40 km from Jaipur, by gateman Kaluram when he saw smoke rising and heard an awkward sound coming from the train.

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Passengers aboard the Ajmerbound Shatabdi Express from New Delhi had a miraculous escape on Monday after the superfast train chugged on nearly eight kilometre at 110 km per hour on a broken wheel.

The 300-odd passengers, on board the train, included foreign tourists as well.

The broken wheel was brought to the notice of a railway official at Bobas railway station, around 40 km from Jaipur, by gateman Kaluram when he saw smoke rising and heard an awkward sound coming from the train.

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When the train was crossing Bobas at around 11.35 am, he saw the smoke and heard a sound, realising that something was wrong in its running. He immediately reported it to assistant station master Ramavtar.

However, before Ramavtar could comprehend and do something, the train crossed the station.

He immediately informed railway superintendent Kaluram Meena at the next station Asalpur-Jobner who stopped the train.

Engineers and other officials then reached the spot to trace the fault. A safety check-up revealed that half a wheel attached to its generator car van was broken.

The damaged wheel was replaced at Asalpur-Jobner before the train was allowed to move forward. The train, however, had to be halted for about two hours for carrying out the repair.

North-western Railway spokesperson Tarun Jain said that a panel has been formed to look into the lapse and to fix responsibility.

Sources said that it is customary to put the wheels through an ultrasonic check that can detect even a minor crack. Moreover, an intensive check of the Shatabdi Express is carried out in Delhi before its departure.