A train accident was avoided today after the driver of a Mumbai suburban train spotted iron rods on the track and managed to stop it in time.

Officials said that the incident happened at around 7:30 am. Motorman Anurag Shukla spotted two rods lying on the track and stopped the Panvel-CST train, officials said.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus railway police, which is investigating the incident, said it is possible that workers working along the tracks might have accidentally left the rods on the track.

An officer said there was also a chance that metal scrap thieves might have left the rod on the tracks and fled.

The officer said that a case had been registered and a team was scanning the CCTV footage to find out leads. He said that all angles, including sabotage, were being examined.