Alert railway staff spot landslide, stop Rajdhani Express in time

More than 700 passengers were stranded for 11 hours in the Rajdhani Express, which was on its way to Goa from New Delhi., a major train tragedy averted.

A major train tragedy was averted on Sunday around 6:35 a.m. in Mumbai after an alert patrolman, loco pilot and assistant loco pilot acted swiftly following a landslide near Raigad district. More than 700 passengers were stranded for 11 hours in the Rajdhani Express, which was on its way to Goa from New Delhi.

A landslide near Raigad district, a major train tragedy averted in Mumbai. (HT photo)

The railway personnel patrolling the tracks spotted the landslide near Jite railway station and alerted the approaching train. Loco pilot AV Rathore and assistant loco pilot Pawan Kumar managed to halt the train just few metres before the landslide. The train was so close to the landslide that it had to be taken behind in order to clear the tracks.

“The patrolman, loco pilot and assistant loco pilot did a commendable job of stopping train well in time and averting a mishap,” said Sunil Udasi, chief public relation officer, CR. The debris was removed from the railway tracks after which the train departed for Goa only by 5:45p.m.