Kerala: Train misses Cheriyanad station, reverses 700 metres to pick up passengers

A loco pilot reversed a train for around 700 metres after realising that he had missed the halt at the Cheriyanad station in Kerala's Alappuzha district. The rail official said, however, that an explanation would be sought from the locopilots on the lapse as part of norms.  

A train in Kerala had to reverse for more than 500 metres after missing a halt at a railway station where passengers were waiting to board. The incident happened in Kerala's Alappuzha district when the loco pilot of the Venad Express headed for Shoranur failed to stop at the small Cheriyanad railway station. The railway's loco pilot reversed the train about 700 metres to pick up the people waiting at the station after finding he had missed the stop.

The incident happened at the Cheriyanad station about 7.45 am, a brief stop halfway between the Mavelikkara and Chengannur stations. As per railway officials, there were no complaints from passengers as none of them faced any inconvenience. The train number --- 16302---Venad Express from Thiruvananthapuram zipped through Cheriyanad.

The absence of a signal or station master at the Cheriyanad station, according to the officials, may have contributed to the loco pilot's error. Signals are only at the bigger stations, said officials. The officials stated they will ask the loco pilots for an explanation. According to the reports, there was a lapse of around 8 minutes in the schedule but later the driver made it up.

Paul Manvattom, president of All Kerala Railway Passengers Association, said: "There was some confusion among the passengers seeing the train continuing without halting. But it was a minor incident."