MP Ramesh, a Railway ticket examiner from Palakkad, became a hero when a train came to a sudden halt in the middle of the Valapattanam River bridge in Kannur after one of the passengers on board pulled the emergency chain.

The incident took place around 3.45 am on Saturday when the Thiruvananthapuram North–Mangaluru Onam Special (06042) train was halted on the bridge after a passenger, who failed to deboard at Kannur from the coach S1, pulled the emergency chain. By the time he pulled the chain, the train had already reached Valapattanam. For the halted train to operate again, the pressure valve had to be restored to its original condition.

With the train stationed right in the middle of the bridge, nobody could deboard through the side to reset the valve, and even the railway guard and loco pilot were unable to reach it. With no other option, Ramesh moved underneath the coach through the vestibule, using only the torch of his mobile phone. The guard and loco pilot, who arrived at the spot with a torch, gave him directions, and after a strenuous effort, Ramesh brought the valve back to its original condition. The train resumed its journey after eight minutes.

The positioning of a train on top of a bridge for an extended period can pose a danger to the structure due to its weight. Ramesh, through his timely intervention, helped avert a potentially serious situation.

Ramesh (39), who works as a Travelling Ticket Inspector in the Mangaluru Depot under the Palakkad Railway Division, is the son of Mani and Baby Saroja, of Ambikapuram in Kalpathi, Palakkad.

Ramesh was felicitated for the rescue act at a meeting by the Palakkad Division Committee president of the Railway Ticket Checking Staff Organisation in Palakkad. The meeting was presided over by KR Lakshmi Narayanan, president of the Palakkad Division Committee.

Meanwhile, the Railways has issued a directive for action against the youth who pulled the emergency chain.