A train mishap was averted on Sunday morning when minor cracks were reported and fixed at the railway tracks in Mandawali in East Delhi.
According to a railways spokesperson, the cracks or “rail fractures” were noticed by a railway official and immediately notified around 7-20 a.m. “The engineering staff was called to repair the fault and trains scheduled to run on the track were asked to stop and the ones behind were asked to slow down,” said the spokesperson, adding that the total delay caused due to repair work was around 30 minutes.
These rail fractures, said the spokesperson, occur due to change in weather.
According to another version, it was a local boy who saw the cracks first and alerted the authorities. Ten-year-old Deepak was strolling near the railway line near Mandawli when he saw a crack in the railway track and alerted the railway staff.
To make sure that the train will slow down and later stop, the officials along with Deepak waved a flag made of the red sweater of the boy to make engine driver slow down and stop while he was approaching the station, said an area resident.