Rs. 10,000 reward for personnel who manually pushed stuck train
Four days ago, around 40 railway personnel posted at the Mumbai Central had to do something they probably weren't expecting: they had to manually push a 16-coach train that was stuck. Now they are being rewarded for their efforts: Western Railway has announced a prize of Rs. 10,000, to be shared "among porters, RPF personnel, carriage and wagon and station staff" involved.
What happened?
On October 19, the Mumbai Central-Lucknow Suvidha Express pulled out of the station when the signal was still red; the track was then directed towards a dead-end, where there's no overhead equipment. A spare engine couldn't be sent nor could the train move as there was no power to draw from. Eventually, passengers were deboarded and about 40 personnel pushed the train manually.
Train driver could be suspended, demoted or even removed
The incident severely impacted movement of trains for a few hours. According to an official, "The point was clamped and a speed restriction was imposed." Fast trains were diverted. Platforms 1 and 2 remained out of service temporarily. The loco pilot involved, IK Sayyad, might face strict punishment pending an inquiry, including suspension, demotion or removal from services.
