Mathura train accident: Railways spells out dos and don'ts for EMU drivers before handover of trains

Days after a train broke the dead-end buffer and entered one of the platforms in Mathura, the Agra Railway Division has issued strict instructions to drivers for safe handing over of trains at terminating stations.

'After the arrival of Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) and Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains at the destination/terminating point, the loco pilot (driver) has to immediately apply power/train break and put the throttle and reverser on zero,' one of the instructions, accessed by PTI, read.

Cautioning them not to leave the train unattended, it has directed the loco pilots to follow instructions to deactivate all operative systems like taking out both the keys crucial for train running, before he hands it over to another person called watcher or loco pilot (shunting).

It further states that if a loco pilot is giving a handover to the watcher, he must ensure that the watcher has placed four wooden wedges under wheels of the train.

The two-page instruction, written in Hindi, has directed all chief loco inspectors of the division to counsel all drivers about these handover process and submit a report to the department concerned by October 29.

On September 26, an EMU train that arrived from the Shakur Basti station in Delhi jumped the track and climbed on to platform 2A at the Mathura Junction railway station. The train also disrupted the OHE line. However, there was no casualty.

During a joint probe into the incident, the electric helper who took the handover of the EMU train alleged that the driver had left all the operating functions on and did not apply brakes because of which when he accidentally put his bag on the throttle, it went forward and the train started moving.

On the other hand, the driver claimed that he had taken out the keys of the train and handed it over to the electric helper.

The joint probe report prima facie found that the electric helper was careless, watching his mobile phone while handling the train and was mildly drunk.

In one of its observations, the report said that generally technicians receive the DTC cab (engine) key, however, in this case, the technician sent an eclectic helper to receive the key.

The Agra division, on the basis of the primary investigation, suspended five persons which include the eclectic helper, the loco pilot and three staff from the technical department.

'Most of these dos and don'ts are already available in the standard operating procedures, however, after the incident, the safety department felt the need to counsel the drivers with fresh instructions so that we can avoid the recurrence of incidents like the one that happened on September 26,' a railway official from the Agra division said.