Locopilot of Guruvayur Express was forced to apply emergency brakes in the vicinity of Naraikinaru station near Tirunelveli late in the evening on Monday. The reason was that an AC locomotive was stranded owing to a “human error” on the mainline at the neighbouring Gangaikondan station. Though railway officials said that applying of emergency brakes was nothing unusual, the last-minute alert made to the locopilot by the Naraikinaru Station Master averted an accident. The express train was running 100 kmph.
A railway official said the Gangaikondan Station Master had inadvertently given signal to an electric locomotive going towards Naraikinaru to take a non-electrified track.
The locomotive was supposed to stop on the loopline at the Naraikinaru station so that Guruvayur Express could proceed non-stop on the mainline towards Gangaikondan.
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However, realising that the electric locomotive was going towards a non-electrified track, the locopilot stopped the engine a few metres from the station. “The engine passed the home signal,” the source said.
Meanwhile, the Gangaikondan SM alerted his counterpart at Naraikinaru and asked him to stop the in-coming Guruvayur Express. However, even before the alert message could be passed, the train that had left Vanchi Maniyachi Railway station crossed the Naraikinaru railway station On getting the alert, the driver applied emergency brakes and brought the train to a screeching halt.
“The driver applied emergency brakes and brought the train to a halt’’