Alappuzha: The alertness and prompt action of a loco pilot helped save three youths whose bikes got stuck too close to the railway track at the southern end of the Alappuzha railway station on July 6.
To the horror of the two young women and their male friend, who had trespassed into the railway line in search of a shortcut, the Thiruvananthapuram-Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express came chugging.
They got stuck with their bikes on the tracks, as there wasn’t enough time to reach the safe end.
However, loco pilot S K Vimal Kumar had seen the youths from a distance and immediately hit the emergency brakes. However, a train does take some time to come to a halt.
“Luckily, the train came to a halt in the nick of time, within a few metres of the youths,” said a senior railway official.
Following the incident, the Thiruvananthapuram divisional railway manager felicitated loco pilot Kumar and assistant loco pilot P Biju on Tuesday for their 'presence of mind and timely action'.
Railway police arrested the three youths following the incident.
“Soon after the incident, the persons in question on a motorcycle and a scooter, tried to escape after moving their vehicles out of the railway track. The crew meantime noted the vehicle numbers. The trio was arrested soon after and the vehicles seized. They were later released on bail,” an RPF official said.
A case under section 154 of the Railway Act (endangering safety of persons travelling by railway by rash or negligent act) was registered against them for trespassing into railway property and endangering lives.
“There was a blockade on the adjacent road. The youths then negligently trespassed through the tracks to cross the main road. Due to the incident, the train suffered a delay of three minutes,” the officer said.
