Mumbai--A Churchgate-bound local train from Bhayander on Sunday came crashing into platform no. 3 after the motorman failed to apply brakes on time.
The incident occurred at around 11.20 in morning.
According to an eyewitness, half of the first coach of the train went through the platform, crossing the bufferzone with a distance of hardly 10 metres from a coffee stall and was seen lying in a tilted position.
“There were four passengers who sustained minor injuries. The motorman LS Tiwary has also sustained injuries. The coach was badly damaged,” said Shailendra Kumar, the divisional railway manager of the Western Railway.
“Being Sunday the platform was not so crowded, else it would have resulted in a big disaster,” added Kumar.
“The Closed Circuit Television Camera (CCTV) reveals that the motorman failed in applying the brake leading to overshot and we are investigating it ,” said another official from the Western Railway.
The reason for the motorman not being able to halt the train was yet to be ascertained. “It would be premature to speak about the cause of the accident.
The exact reason can be ascertained only after proper investigation,” Western Railway’s (WR) chief PRO Sharat Chandrayan said.
WR General Manager S K Sood and Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Shailendra Kumar along with other senior officials reached the spot and launched restoration operation of the suburban services.
“We are enquiring with the motorman, L S Tiwary, who received mild injuries, and as per the normal procedure, we would also be checking whether he was under the influence of alcohol,” said another senior official involved in the process of investigation.
The impact of the train’s collision with the platform’s dead end was so huge that the wheels of the first coach got hanged into the air, ripping apart all the technical equipment in its lower part and also the overhead wire.
After the incident, services originating from and terminating at platform no.3 were suspended till the restoration of services, Chandrayan said. The injured woman was admitted to hospital, he said.
INDIAN EXPRESS
