Not One, but Two Motormen Averted Major Accident at Mumbai Station

The motormen spotted the iron rods and stopped the train right on time, averting a major accident.

Three iron rods were found on the tracks near Masjid station, motorman stopped the train right on time. 

(Photo courtesy: ANI)

A potentially dangerous accident was averted near the Masjid Bunder Railway Station in Mumbai on Monday, 4 December, when two motormen noticed three iron rods sticking out on the track and stopped the trains in time, reported ANI.

On account of fast-thinking of the two motormen, Anurag Shukla and MB Naik, which prevented an accident that could have harmed the passengers onboard, the DRM of the Central Railways has decided to felicitate them, PTI reported.

Anurag Shukla being felicitated by the Central Railways for averting a major accident. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/@Karthick2668)

The train motored by Anurag Shukla was travelling from Panvel to Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST), while the one being driven by MB Naik was travelling from CST to Panvel, reported The Hindu.

The incident seems to have taken place around 7.30 am, officials told PTI.

According to the report by The Hindu, Naik saw the three iron rods lying on the opposite track and instantly alerted Shukla, who was driving the other train, by turning on his flashlights after applying the emergency breaks.

Shukla, noticing the flashlights, immediately stopped the train as well. The two then reportedly got off their respective trains and removed the iron rods, which were first taken taken to CSMT and then handed over to the Railway Police Force.

Both the motormen are heroes. Had Mr Naik not spotted the iron rods, Mr Shukla would never have known and the crisis would never have been averted.

AK Jain, senior public relations officer of the Central Railways, to <i>The Hindu</i>

The report said the two motormen have been awarded a cash prize of Rs 1,000 each as well as a certificate of appreciation for their “prompt and efficient action during their time of duty.”

Investigating the incident, the CST police said that it seems highly likely that workers near the track may have accidentally left the rods on it. However, they weren’t going to rule out the possibility that metal scrap thieves had left the rod on the tracks and fled, PTI quoted officials as saying.

An officer from the CST police told PTI that a case has been registered under relevant sections and that a team of officials would be accessing the CCTV camera footage to track down any leads.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)