It surely was a memorable day for the six railway employees, for they got a rare opportunity to flag off the Tirupati-Kacheguda ‘Double Decker’ express train here on Thursday.
Chief Ticket Inspector S. Mohan Rao, Travelling Ticket Inspectors Mahabub Basha and Siraj and railway guard Vara Prasad waved the flag along with Anjanaiah, senior technician in Carriage and Wagons division and Chinnabba, ‘khalasi’ in engineering department, even as the train chugged out of the station. Vara Prasad immediately hopped into the train, as he was on duty for the same train.
Normally, the local public representatives are roped in for such formalities, but in the absence of ministers and MPs in the State now, the chance was given to the railway employees who are retiring in a month. “It is a rare honour to our colleagues who have put in several years in the service of the public,” said Railway Liaison Officer K. Satyanarayana, who waved the flag first.
Made in the Rail Coach Factory at Kapurthala, the coach is just as long as a regular one, but can accommodate 120 passengers instead of the normal 72. The rake also has a modern fire alarm system. Though the train can go up to a speed of 160 kmph, the sectional speed is pegged at 100 kmph.
More than the passengers boarding the train, there were surprisingly many visitors to the station in the wee hours of the day, who took snaps of the train. Some passengers also took ‘selfies’, with the bright red train in the backdrop.
