DRIVER STOPS TRAIN BEFORE GOING OVER FAULTY TRACKS

Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Mar 13, 2017, 

By Manoj Sharma

An alert loco pilot of the Indian Railways averted a mishap when he stopped a train before it went over a cracked track. The Solapur-Hubballi train he was driving was stopped for 45 minutes at the spot seven km from here and allowed to proceed only after railway officials inspected the track.

When the train was brought to an abrupt halt at about 7.30 am on Sunday in the middle of nowhere with no station in sight, passengers of the train were under the impression it was to let a train cross by. Word that a faulty track had led to the stoppage spread like wildfire when they learnt the actual cause. Thousands of passengers were travelling in the train from Solapur to Hubballi. That the train was moving at a slow pace helped the driver in bringing it to a halt before it went over the damaged rails, thus avoiding a possible derailment.

According to the railways, the train had left Solapur after a 15-minute delay before it came across the fractured rail, which is a common occurrence during summers. The problem in the track had been brought to their notice and they were in the process of deputing personnel to attend to it when they got the cautioning call from the driver of the passenger train.

However, the officials lauded the loco pilot’s alertness and prompt action. They also ruled out any terrorist activity as the reason behind the defective track.