Banker engine derails at Kasara station in Maharashtra

A banker engine, used in hauling a train up a steep gradient, derailed at the Kasara station in Maharashtra's Thane district on the Central Railway network on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

The derailment occurred at the Kasara station's yard at 12.20 pm, the Central Railway's chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said.

“Nobody was injured in the incident,” he said, adding that the movement of long-distance trains on the route is likely to get affected.

Kasara station is the final stop in the north-east sector of the Central Railway's Mumbai suburban train network.

“Due to the derailment, some mails or express trains are likely to run behind scheduled time, but there is no impact on the movement of suburban services. The Kasara-bound local trains are running as per schedule,” he said.

Restoration work is currently in progress at the site, Nila added.

Banker engines, generally in sets of two or three, push the goods and passengers train from behind while ascending a 'ghat' (mountain pass) section. Near Mumbai, the banker engines are used only in the Kasara (Mumbai to Nashik route) and Bhor (Mumbai to Pune route) ghat sections.