The Chennai-bound Kanyakumari Express came to a halt near Tiruchi after hitting the tire of a lorry kept on the railway track in the early hours of Friday.
The Government Railway Police has registered a case and formed special teams to nab the accused of tire installation.
The incident took place around 1 am at Mela Valadi, a few kilometers from Tiruchi Junction. Railway Police sources said that two tires of the lorry were kept and one tire was found lying in the middle of the track and the other tire was in a vertical position.
After leaving Tiruchy Junction, a tire of the express train, which had picked up speed, collided and stopped at some distance after applying brakes. Railway police said power supply was snapped in six coaches of the train as a hose in one coach got cut.
Acting on the alert, the Government Railway Police inquired. They recovered both the tyres, one of which was found at some distance from the spot and in mangled condition. The train remained halted at the spot for about 25 minutes and left after the problem was resolved.
The Government Railway Police, Vridhachalam has registered a case under Section 150 (1) (a) of the Railway Act and started investigation into the incident. Four teams were probing the case.
During investigation, it was found that the tires belonged to a lorry owner, whose house was located at some distance from the track. The sources further said that the incident took place at a remote location and added that the Podhigai Express train had passed through the same spot without any hindrance about 25 minutes ago.