KOCHI: When the situation turns dire, the brave take the reins. Something along the lines happened on the Aluva Railway Bridge over the Periyar River on Tuesday, when a young Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) on board the Ernad Express got down to release the air brake that got applied after a passenger pulled the emergency chain.
Speaking to TNIE, Ben Thampy, the young TTE on board Thiruvananthapuram-Mangaluru Central Ernad Express, says, "I was on duty along with a senior TTE on the train up to Shornur. It so happened that when the train entered the Aluva Bridge, it came to a sudden halt. Following this, the locopilot got down and started inspecting the train to identify where the brake got applied."
During the inspection, it was found that the chain had been pulled in the AC coach. According to Ben, once the emergency is applied, the only way to release it is to go to the specific coach and do it manually. "And as per the standard protocol, the process has to be done by the guard. However, in this situation, the guard got isolated and couldn't reach the said coach. So, I contacted the senior TTE and sought permission to rectify it."
Ben was told that the process would involve removing the plate over the connection between two coaches, getting in between the small space and then releasing the brake. However, what made the entire process very risky was the fact that the train was a top of the bridge and there were big gaps. The fact that it was raining made the matter even worse. "The chances of slipping and falling through the gap were high. But I was able to do the job by following the instructions passed on by the guard," he added.
Ben's timely action ensured that the train didn't get delayed by much, and even the Vande Bharat Express that was coming in behind it also could keep its running time. According to Ben, every TTE is given training in the basic technical mechanics of the train to enable them to take care of situations like this.