The alert villagers noticing the crack on the tracks, promptly waved a red cloth and halted the train ahead of the spot, averting a possible mishap, railway officials said.
The driver promptly stopped the train, which was proceeding towards Nilgiri Road barely 20m before the crack spot, they said.
Balasore Station Manager Satyaranjan Rout said the train left for its destination after about 25 minutes after the tracks were repaired.
The reason of the crack was yet to be ascertained and the matter was being investigated by the Railways' technical wing, he said.
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