Mumbai: Alert motorman stops train in time, prevents suicide

A passenger tries to speak to the man

The timely action by an alert motorman of the Central Railway saved the life of a suicidal person, who was lying on the tracks between Tilak Nagar-Chembur stations on Saturday.

PK Ratnakar was working on a Panvel local when he noticed the man lying on the tracks between Tilak Nagar-Chembur stations

"PK Ratnakar, motorman, CSMT, while working on a Panvel local (leaving CSMT at 14.12 pm) on May 29, noticed a person lying on the tracks. While negotiating to the neutral section, the speed of the local train was slow in the Tilak Nagar-Chembur track. So he immediately applied emergency brakes and stopped the train just 10-12 metres before the person on the tracks," Central Railway chief spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said. The guard of the local train was informed to apprise the Control.

"Due to the alertness and timely, prompt action of the motorman, the life of a person was saved. Ratnakar will be awarded suitably," Sutar said.

As per Ratnakar's statement, while he was driving between Tilak Nagar and Chembur, he spotted a person lying on the tracks in front of his train. He braked hard and waited for a while. The person on the tracks was moving. A passenger from the train then jumped out and told Ratnakar that he would go and check on the person lying on the tracks. He added that the moment the passenger approached the person and tried to speak to him, the latter ran away. The passenger then returned to the train and Ratnakar continued driving ahead.

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29 May
Day the incident took place