02 May,2016 08:20 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
A ride on the world-renowned toy train at Matheran gave quite a scare to tourists on Sunday afternoon when a coach derailed just a few metres from the ghat after crossing the Aman Lodge station
A ride on the world-renowned toy train at Matheran gave quite a scare to tourists on Sunday afternoon when a coach derailed just a few metres from the ghat after crossing the Aman Lodge station.
The derailed coach of the toy train
The train was midway between Neral and Matheran stations when the third coach from the engine derailed around 3 pm. It was moving at a speed of barely 10kmph. The coach had three to four tourists.
Vasant Kadam, a tourist, said soon after the train left the Aman Lodge station, passengers heard a discernible creak. "The third coach from the engine tilted dangerously and derailed, while the wheels got stuck to the tracks. The train was approaching the ghat."
Three persons suffered only minor injuries, but alarmed tourists raised a furore, claiming that the accident could have been life-threatening.
While some tourists walked down or hailed taxis to reach Neral station, some others damaged railway property when the staff refused to refund their ticket fares.
AK Singh, PRO, Central Railway (CR), confirmed the derailment. An inquiry into the cause of derailment will be conducted. The tracks were realigned and the affected service - 52108 Matheran-Neral passenger train - was taken to the Neral station at 9.15 pm yesterday.
The CR operates eight daily services of the toy train, except in the monsoon.
