Matheran toy train derails, 30 escape with minor injuries

More than 30 passengers onboard the Neral Matheran toy train had a close shave when it derailed merely 100 metres away from the valley on Sunday.

The trolley beneath the train had reportedly malfunctioned sending one of its bogies off the track and causing minor injuries to a few onboard.

The incident took place at 3.01 pm when the Neral-Matheran train, running with full capacity was near Aman Lodge. Sunil Shinde, a Mumbai resident who was present at the time of the incident, said that suddenly the bogie D3 derailed from the tracks and started tilting dangerously. “All the passengers jumped down before the bogie could tilt over completely. Luckily, nobody sustained injuries and only a couple of passengers sprained their legs,” said Mr Shinde.

A railway official confirmed that the incident took place owing to the faulty trolley under the bogie that had thrown it off balance. “This particular bogie was carrying some 30 passengers. While it didn’t topple, the passengers jumped out in time and none of them sustained major injuries,” said the official, who did not wish to be named.

He added that a major tragedy had been averted since the incident took place merely 100 metres away from the valley.

Following the mishap, the passengers took cabs and went to Matheran station to lodge a complaint with the station officer regarding the incident. Mr Shinde said the passengers demanded that the stationmaster refund the ticket fare, which he refused. “There was a lot of chaos. The stationmaster said it’s not in his hands to provide refunds.”

“He said they would have to file a complaint at the Neral station regarding the same,” said Mr Shinde.

With the incident taking place just as the tourist season is set to kick in, social activists claimed that if the 100-year-old tracks were not repaired, it could affect the tourism industry of the hill station.

Local politicians too said the incident could harm the tourism of the hill station. “The tracks are more than 100-years-old and it can severely affect the credibility of the popular train service. Railway authorities need to resolve the technical issues since a similar incident had taken place at the same spot in November too,” said a politician, who did not wish to be named.