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Passengers of the New Delhi-Puri Purushottam Express had a narrow escape in the wee hours of Wednesday, as suspected Maoists removed the connectors between two tracks on a 400-metre stretch near Gidni station in West Bengal just before the train was to cross the area.
Patrolling railway men detected a group of people removing the pandoral clips, connectors between two tracks, and trying to bend the line near Gidni at around 1.15 am, a South Eastern Railway spokesman said.
They immediately informed railway authorities at Gidni station following which movement of trains was stopped.
The local police, the Railway Protection Force and railway officials rushed to the spot to undertake restoration work, the spokesman said.
Thirteen up and down trains, including Gitanjali Express, Mumbai Mail, Azad Hind Express were detained at several points on the Howrah-Tatanagar section.
Train movement was restored after six hours, the spokesman said.