UP: Trains wait hours at Murshadpur, thanks to drunk stationmaster
What's the story
On Friday, when trains on UP's Murshadpur route started queuing up one after another, officials were confused why there was no green light. Calls were frantically made to Murshadpur Stationmaster Deep Singh, but all went unanswered. Tension increased. Officials then rushed to Murshadpur themselves and were shocked to finally know the reason: Singh was passed out, drunk, with liquor bottles lying around his office.
Details
We'll take stern action against him: Officials
Officials are still having difficulty believing it. According to sources, several long-distance trains had to stop and wait for up to an hour that night. Meanwhile, "Singh was dead drunk and could barely walk," an official said. It was "a very serious matter," he added. A medical examination confirmed a high level of alcohol in his blood. "We'll take stern action against him," the official said.
Chase
Earlier, a loco pilot 'chased' a driverless engine on bike
India, and the Railways, never fail to amuse. Last November, something peculiar happened at Karnataka's Gulbarga, when an electric engine started on a journey from Wadi station by itself, without a driver. A panicked loco pilot 'chased' the engine on a bike for 20 minutes before he caught up with it. By then, it had covered 13kms. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Wrong route
Delhi-Maharashtra train runs 160km on wrong route, reaches MP
The same month, a train from Delhi, originally destined to Maharashtra, took a wrong route and kept going for 160km before realizing the mistake. By then, it had reached Madhya Pradesh. The driver found out about it only when passengers, mostly farmers, deboarded at Banmor and informed him. With some help, the train corrected its course.
Do you know?
Passengers scream for help as engine-less train rolls backwards 10km
In April this year, 22 coaches of the Ahmedabad-Puri Express rolled backwards without an engine for 10kms in Odisha. Authorities finally managed to stop the train at Kesinga station by placing a heap of stones on the track. No one was injured.