Two trackmen, who have been inspecting a railway track between Yamuna Bridge and Tilak Bridge, saved lives of thousands of passengers who had been travelling in the Shiv Ganga Express
Two trackmen, who have been inspecting a railway track between Yamuna Bridge and Tilak Bridge, saved lives of thousands of passengers who had been travelling in the Shiv Ganga Express. The two trackmen — 60-year-old Priyaswami and 55-year-old Ram Niwas — averted a major train disaster by alerting the driver after spotting a six-inch gap on the railway tracks.
Aware of the fact that Shiv Ganga Express was fast approaching the spot, Priyaswami ran towards the train while waving his red towel to alert the train driver. Seeing the red towel being waved, the driver immediately applied the brakes and stopped the train just a few metres away from the broken track.
A Times of India report said that the two had averted a similar kind of disaster after spotting a broken track and immediately calling the station master. This time, they didn’t have a phone to call the station master.
Priyaswami said that he and Ram Niwas had been inspecting the railway tracks at around 7:55 AM when they spotted a six-inch gap on the metal. “I could make out from the metal’s silver colour that it was a fresh break. The train would have instantly derailed had it passed over the gap,” Priyaswami said.
“We only had only a few minutes before the Shiv Ganga Express from Varanasi would cross the stretch. We could hear the train siren at a distance and had to alert the driver. I had a gamchha while Ram Niwas was carrying a worn-out red flag,” he added.
The two waved their red towels and flags as soon as they spotted the train approaching them at a higher speed. The two said that had the train been running at a much higher speed, it would have run over them. “We had to take the risk,” Ram Niwas said.
RN Singh, deputy railway manager, Northern Railway, said that the railways have decided to reward the two trackmen for their bravery.
Aware of the fact that Shiv Ganga Express was fast approaching the spot, Priyaswami ran towards the train while waving his red towel to alert the train driver. Seeing the red towel being waved, the driver immediately applied the brakes and stopped the train just a few metres away from the broken track.
A Times of India report said that the two had averted a similar kind of disaster after spotting a broken track and immediately calling the station master. This time, they didn’t have a phone to call the station master.
Priyaswami said that he and Ram Niwas had been inspecting the railway tracks at around 7:55 AM when they spotted a six-inch gap on the metal. “I could make out from the metal’s silver colour that it was a fresh break. The train would have instantly derailed had it passed over the gap,” Priyaswami said.
“We only had only a few minutes before the Shiv Ganga Express from Varanasi would cross the stretch. We could hear the train siren at a distance and had to alert the driver. I had a gamchha while Ram Niwas was carrying a worn-out red flag,” he added.
The two waved their red towels and flags as soon as they spotted the train approaching them at a higher speed. The two said that had the train been running at a much higher speed, it would have run over them. “We had to take the risk,” Ram Niwas said.
RN Singh, deputy railway manager, Northern Railway, said that the railways have decided to reward the two trackmen for their bravery.