Mumbai: Despite fog, the motorman of the Devgiri Express (Pune-Mumbai) managed to spot a boulder on the railway tracks early on Friday and applied the emergency brakes on time, averting a major disaster.
Officials said, timely action by motorman RK Yadav saved the life of passengers and services were normalised within two hours. The incident happened at 4.55am when the boulder landed on a middle line track as the Pune-Mumbai train was passing through a tunnel near Kasara Ghat.
“The motorman informed the control room of the incident, after which the railway staff, with help from passengers, removed the boulder. The track was cleared and the train resumed its onward journey at 6.55am,” he said.
However, there was no need for diversion of rail traffic, as the incident occurred early in the morning. A similar incident was reported on July 8, when a boulder and about 150 cubic metres of muck fell on the middle line between Thakurwadi and Monkey Hill in the Karjat-Lonavla section.
As was reported by The Free Press Journal on July 25, the CR has cancelled Mumbai-Pune trains, including the Deccan Express and Pragati Express, from July 26 to August 9, to enable the Central Railway to address the problem of falling boulders in the treacherous Lonavala-Khandala ghat sections, an official had said on Wednesday.
