SPAD at Mumbai

TRAIN DRIVER TAKEN OFF DUTY

August Kranti jumps signal at Borivli stn

Somit Sen TNN

Mumbai: The engine driver of August Kranti Rajdhani Express was taken off duty after the train jumped a signal at Borivli station on Thursday evening.
    It is perhaps the first time that a Rajdhani-type train has overshot the signal. Several Virar-bound fast trains were delayed by at least 15 minutes during the evening peak hour. Senior officials clarified that there was no possibility of a collision with any other train as the super fast train had a scheduled halt at Borivli station.
    “The driver was immediately replaced and taken for a medical examination to ascertain whether or not he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs,” a Western Railway (WR) official told TOI. The assistant driver and guard were also recalled. “WR has instituted an inquiry into the incident,” said divisional railway manager Shailendra Kumar. “The inquiry will be conducted by senior officials. Usually we have the best engine drivers for Rajdhanis and they are highly experienced. There has been some error here though I would not like to comment on the cause since the matter is being probed,” he added. “An investigation will reveal if the driver misjudged while applying brakes or there was some technical problem,” said a source.
    The train pulled out of Mumbai Central at 5.40am and reached Borivli around 6.19pm. After jumping the signal, the train was delayed by around half an hour and finally left at 6.50pm, the source added. On November 23, a motorman of a WR train jumped a signal between Churchgate and Marine Lines stations. Had the auxiliary warning system not stopped the train immediately after the violation, it would have collided with another local that was switching tracks.