LUCKNOW: A reckless biker who ignored drop gates at a manned level crossing near
Unnao
on Saturday night not only risked his own life, but also those of a few hundred passengers of Tejas Express.
As the youth jumped off his two-wheeler perilously close to the rails to escape unscathed in the nick of time, the train grazed the front wheel of the bike. Fortunately, it didn't jump tracks. A case under Sections 153 and 147 of The Railways Act has been lodged against the biker for trespassing and endangering the life of passengers.
Divisional railway manager (Northern Railway) Sanjay Tripathi told TOI the mishap took place around 11pm when Tejas Express was on its return journey from Delhi to Lucknow. No injury has been reported, he said.
"It is a standard practice to drop barriers at a level crossing when a train is approaching. The biker in question breached the barrier and was crossing the tracks when the train came within sniffing distance. He abandoned his bike on the side of the tracks and ran to safety. Lucky for us, the train passed by safely despite hitting the bike and did not derail," Tripathi said, adding that the matter would be probed.
Passengers too heaved a sigh of relief.
Kumar, a resident of Aliganj, boarded the train from New Delhi for Lucknow. "I was seated near the window when I heard a loud clang of metals. I saw people on the road across pointing to the train and screaming. Later, we came to know how our alert driver averted a possible derailment," Kumar said.
Ajay, another passenger, said Tejas was facing teething troubles. "The train was late on Saturday. We had to wait at New Delhi station for two hours. And then, there was this incident near Unnao. The IRCTC should be more vigilant," he added.