Railway suspends loco pilot, assistant for crossing red signal in Thrissur

Thrissur: The railway authorities on Saturday suspended a locomotive pilot and an assistant pilot for crossing the danger signal near here while driving an express train.

According to officials, loco pilot K.D. Mathew and his assistant pilot Gopakumar of the Trivandrum-Mumbai CST weekly express overshot the danger signal at the Ollur railway station near here around 10 a.m. The train passed the railway station and proceeded about 100 metres ignoring the red signal.

“The stoppage signal was given as another train was chugging out of the same track at the Thrissur railway station but there was no possibility of collision at all. However, this is a serious lapse and the crew may even lose their jobs if the charge is established,” said an official.

When the incident came to the notice of top officials, the train was brought to a halt after it reached the Vallathol Nagar station at 10.55 a.m.

Soon, the loco pilot and assistant were sent for a medical examination. The train resumed its journey after a delay of over one hour with another set of engine crew.

Confirming the incident, Ashok Kumar, Southern Railway Manager (Ernakulum area), said that the two were placed under suspension as per procedure.