Mumbai: Alert train driver averts major tragedy near Titwala

S Murugan, the driver

A train running downhill near Titwala on Sunday morning was headed for a major disaster but an alert driver's prompt action averted the tragedy and saved hundreds of lives. S Murugan, the driver of the Patna-Mumbai Express, spotted the fracture in the track ahead on time and pulled the brake.

"The train was rolling down a gradient and the alert driver could spot the fracture from his engine and stop the train just in the nick of time. The engine passed half-way over the fracture and stopped. Engines are heavier and are able to take the load and pressure of holding the train and being stable. Had the coaches behind it passed over them, the train would definitely have derailed as they are comparatively lighter," a senior Central Railway official said.

"The incident occurred between Khadvali and Titwala stations at 9.45 am and Murugan applied emergency brakes and stopped the train. The track was fixed then and thereby the staff and the train left the site at 10.16 am with a restricted speed of 10 kmph," the official added.

Central Railway chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said the administration would reward Murugan appropriately for his presence of mind.

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