LPG cylinder found on railway track in Roorkee in another train derailment bid

A major disaster was narrowly avoided early Sunday when an empty LPG cylinder was discovered on the railway tracks near Roorkee, Uttarakhand. The cylinder was spotted by the loco pilot of a goods train, who immediately alerted authorities, preventing a potential derailment.
The Northern Railway’s Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO), Himanshu Upadhyay, stated that the incident occurred at 6:35 am between Landaura and Dhandhera stations, approximately one kilometer from Dhandhera. A pointsman was dispatched to the scene and confirmed the cylinder was empty. It has since been placed under the custody of the Station Master at Dhandhera.
Local police and the Government Railway Police (GRP) have been notified, and an FIR is being filed.
The incident is one of many in a recent surge of train derailment attempts across India. Indian Railways revealed that there have been 18 such attempts nationwide since August, with an additional three reported in the weeks following. In the most recent case, another LPG cylinder was found on the tracks in Kanpur.
Since June 2023, there have been 24 incidents involving various objects, including LPG cylinders, bicycles, iron rods, and cement blocks, being placed on tracks in an apparent attempt to derail trains. Of these, 15 incidents occurred in August, with five more in September, underscoring the growing concern over railway safety.