A major rail mishap was averted on Saturday morning when a bull came in the way of the Ludhiana-Hisar Express on the Dhuri rail line near the Dugri railway crossing. The bogie number three of the train lost it balance and derailed but the timely application of brakes prevented the other bogies from derailing.

However, the bull got stuck between two bogies and was dragged for 1 kilometre by the moving train.

The passengers had to hire private transport to reach their destinations. The incident took place around 9.45 am and thus affected the schedule of the Ludhiana-Ferozepur train which got delayed by two hours.

“It was the alertness of the driver and the luck of passengers that a big tragedy was averted,” said Gian Chand, SHO, GRP.

In yet another incident, a goods train coming from Ferozepur got stuck on the railway line because its wheels developed a fault. The incident happened near the Sacred Heart Convent School around 11.30 am and caused traffic jam for about half an hour on the Pakhowal Road and the Southern Bypass road.