Alert loco pilot, assistant avert train mishap near Mangaluru

An alert loco pilot and assistant loco pilot averted a possible train accident on the Barkur-Udupi section at Perampalli here on Wednesday morning.

While approaching km no. 686/32 (on the Barkur-Udupi section), loco pilot Purushottam and assistant loco pilot Manjunath Naik of Matsyagandha Express (train no. 12619) noticed a huge tree lying on the tracks. Immediately, they stopped the train by applying emergency brakes. After the train had stopped, the tree was cleared by a team of the railways.

Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) chairman and managing director Santosh Kumar Jha, praising the alertness of the crew which helped in averting an accident,  announced a cash award of Rs 15,000 to each of the two crew members, KRCL manager (public relations) Sudha Krishnamurthy told DH.

KRCL senior regional traffic manager Dilip Bhat and chief loco inspector Binu K handed over the cash award to the loco pilot and his assistant at the Surathkal station, sources said.