S M Mizanur Rahman :Without locomotive master on board a passenger train at a speed of 60 to 65 kilometers per hour narrowly escaped a major accident as it ran backward for 28 kilometers and crossed four stations at Pangsha in Rajbari district on Sunday morning. The inter-city train ‘Faridpur Express’ carrying about 100 passengers from Rajbari Railway Station started running backward at about 8.04am without locomotive master.After starting the engine of the train at about 8.04 am, the locomotive master Mohammad Ali, assistant locomotive master Faisal and guard Subhash Chandra Sharma came out of the engine room for taking tea and chewing betel leaf at a nearby tea stall, Rajbari Railway Station master Mohammad Kamruzzaman told The New Nation on Sunday.He said the train was scheduled to go to Faridpur from Rajbari station at about 8:10am. Instead, it started running back on the Rajbari-Poradaha route at about 8.04pm. “The train ran up to Babupara Bridge after crossing the Pangsha Railway Station without locomotive master on board,” he said, adding that following the incident train communications between Rajbari and Kushtia remained suspended for two hours. Talking to this reporter Iqbal Hayet, Officer-in-Charge of Pangsha Police Station said with the help of passengers the ticket checker Anwar Hossain managed to stop the train near Pangsha station. Otherwise, it might have been a big disaster.”As the train started running backward at a high speed and crossed Surjonagar, Belgachi, Kalukhali and Pangsha stations, the panic stricken passengers started crying for help,” quoting passengers of train the OC said. Ticket checker Anwar Hossain said he had thought that the train was running backward to bring water or repair the railway point. “But when the train at a high speed was crossing the point, the passengers started crying. I signalled the locomotive master to stop the train but as I didn’t get any response from him I pulled the emergency stop chain. But the train continued to run at a high speed,” he told journalists. He said that later he along with some passengers went to the driver’s cabin and switched off the engine by opening the key box, which contained vacuum box. “And we opened the vacuum box to release air. As the air was released from the vacuum box, the train stopped near Babupara Bridge at about 9.04am,” he said When contacted, Railway Minister Mujibul Haque told The New Nation on Sunday that the train narrowly escaped a deadly accident that might have caused a large-scale casualty. “It is very unfortunate as the locomotive master, his assistant and guard were taking tea and chewing betel leaf after starting the engine. We have already suspended the three — the locomotive master Mohammad Ali, assistant locomotive master Faisal and guard Subhash Chandra Sharma,” he said. He added they have also formed a probe body to investigate the incident.
