NAGPUR: A major accident was narrowly avoided in the Bhusawal division of Central Railways on Friday morning when an Amravati-bound train crashed into a truck that had illegally crossed the railway tracks at a closed level crossing. No casualties were reported.
The incident occurred around 4.30 am near Bodwal Railway Station when a truck carrying wheat attempted to cross the railway tracks through an unauthorised route. The truck failed to clear the tracks in time and was hit by the Amba Express. The collision caused the truck to split into two, with its front portion getting entangled with the train’s engine.
“The level-crossing has been long closed and was replaced by a Railway over Bridge. The truck still broke into the old level crossing stopper to land on the truck,” said a railway official.
“The impact did damaged the truck but not the engine of the train,” said he.
“The loco-pilot was safe and the truck driver and cleaner too were not injured,” said the senior official.
The crash caused damage to railway infrastructure, including overhead electric wires, leading to disruptions on the Mumbai-Kolkata route. Train services, including the Mumbai-Amravati Amba Express, were affected, with delays of up to one and a half hours. Other trains on the route were also running behind schedule by up to an hour due to diversions.
Railway officials have started repair work, expecting the tracks to be restored within an hour and a half. Authorities have launched an investigation and may take legal action against the truck driver for reckless behaviour.
This incident follows a previous train accident near Jalgaon in January 2025, in which 13 people lost their lives in a collision involving the Pushpak Express.