CHENNAI: It might sound like a narration straight out of a disaster movie - distressed train passengers being rescued by a daring team just before an advancing danger enveloped them, but a similar heroic scene unfolded in Chennai on Monday.
When Cyclone Vardah was at its peak ferocity, ripping apart everything in its path, almost all suburban trains were either safely anchored at their source or at other intermediate stations. Except one.
Train number 42013, between Madras Moore Market Complex (MMMC) and Gummidipundi, had pulled out of the platform at around 10 am, hoping to complete the journey without encountering any problem. The train was estimated to have been carrying more than 100 passengers, several of whom were to get off at Ennore, railway officials said.
The train, expected to cover the 47 km journey in about 90 minutes, never reached its destination. When it was cruising along between Wimco Nagar and Kathivakkam, there was a failure in the overhead electrical equipment, because of a fallen tree. That instantly left the electric multiple unit (EMU) train immobile.
Back in the control room, a message was delivered at 10-35am that the train was stalled.
A senior section engineer was sent to look into the issue and set it right. However, the communication lines between the train’s motorman and the control room was lost, courtesy the Vardah. Railway officials also found it hard to contact the section engineer as his phone was not reachable.
At the divisional headquarters, there was uncertainty. Vardah hadn’t made its landfall yet and it was only expected to get worse.
While it was agreed that something had to be done for the passengers’ safety, almost an hour had passed before the Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force, Chennai, formed a team to evacuate the stranded passengers to safety.
A team of three, comprising one assistant sub-inspector and two constables of the RPF, were assigned the task. They set out from Ennore but quickly found that all the paths to the remote spot were blocked.
They decided to walk the four km stretch along the railway track. Braving the ferocious wind and rain, the team slowly made its way to the train.
When the team reached finally, they found passengers huddled inside the compartments, too scared to come out. One by one, the team reached out to the passengers and safely brought them to the ground. Meanwhile, the RPF officials coordinated with the local police for help. When the last passenger was removed, they were put on specially arranged MTC buses to head to Ennore.
While neither the passengers nor the heroic team could be reached for comment because of the crippled mobile network, KK Ashraf, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Railway Protection Force, Chennai, said he had tweeted about the incident on Monday, which was retweeted by the Union Minister of Railways, Suresh Prabhu, who appreciated the staff for their commitment to duty in the face of grave danger.