Displaying extraordinary grit in the wee hours, an elderly couple ran for a few metres along the track near Bhagavathipuram railway station near Sengottai, to stop an approaching train, minutes after a truck fell on the track between Bhagavathipuram and Aryankavu railway stations early on Sunday, February 25, 2024.
The couple, Shanmugaiah and Kurunthammal, was woken up by the loud noise caused by the truck falling down on the track after hitting the crash barrier of the ghat road.
Railway sources said the truck was carrying plywood from Kerala and was proceeding towards Kumbakonam.
After it fell down from a height of about 18 feet from the road on the track at around 12.50 a.m. on Sunday, the couple living in the vicinity rushed to the spot with a torch light.
Even as they were shocked to see the mangled remains of the truck obstructing the track for rail movement, they realised that a train was fast approaching the spot.
“They ran as much as they could in the dead of the night and after covering few feet, the woman switched on a torchlight and waved it at the locopilot,” a railway officer said.
An official said the locopilot of an empty rake, which was being moved towards Punalur, brought the train to a screeching halt at around 1.15 a.m.
“The train moves only at a speed of 30 kmph on the ghat section as a precautionary measure and the couple’s alert helped the crew to stop at at a safe distance,” a senior railway official said.
The obstruction was removed from the track using earth movers and the track was cleared for rail traffic at around 6 a.m.
Chennai Egmore-Kollam Express was delayed for more than two hours due to this accident.
