Angamali: Passengers in the Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Express that derailed here are thankful to the loco pilots in the train because they played a significant role in reducing the impact of the accident. K G Ajikumar was the loco pilot while R Madhusoodhanan was the assistant loco pilot.
Madhusoodhanan said a major mishap could be averted because there were no technical failures in the train’s systems. Normally, trains travel at 75-80 Km/Hr through this stretch and on Sunday the train was traveling at that speed. Even as the train crossed the home signal close to the Karukutty railway station, there were problems with the movement of the train. By that time, a part of the train had entered the premises of the Karukutty railway station. Built-in braking systems and brakes applied by the loco pilots helped to stop the train quickly.
It was raining heavily and the loco pilots immediately switched on hazard lights to warn oncoming traffic. This helped the crew of Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram Super Express to sense danger well in advance.
Five bogies of the train close to the engine had not derailed and the train continued to Palakkad with these bogies. The loco pilots then returned home from there.
