Overview
- The New Delhi–Chennai Grand Trunk (GT) Express had its locomotive windshield shattered between Singarayakonda and Ulavapadu when objects struck the cab, an event that occurred around 1 a.m. on Thursday and forced the crew to stop the train.
- Senior assistant loco-pilot M. Jayaram suffered head injuries from the broken glass and was taken by 108 ambulance to Ulavapadu Government Hospital before being referred to the Railway Hospital in Vijayawada for further treatment.
- Railway officials moved the halted train into Ulavapadu yard, attached a replacement locomotive around 3:30 a.m., and provided an alternative crew at Bitragunta so the GT Express could continue toward Chennai.
- The Ongole unit of the Railway Protection Force has registered a case and opened an investigation into the incident while reports say items were allegedly thrown from the passing Ernakulam–Bilaspur Express; those allegations remain subject to the RPF probe.
- The episode highlights direct safety risks to train crews from objects entering the locomotive cab and could prompt tighter on-board conduct enforcement and investigative scrutiny by Indian Railways and RPF units.