Oops another train collision..

God saved us….really

 

Just recollecting last time it occurred in Mumbai, sometime between 1988-1990. I do not remember the exact year.

 

Me and my friend as on an official tour and had to go to Hyderabad BHEL for an urgent work. As we were juniors, flight was no allowed. We had 2^nd A/C tickets, but RAC. Normally such RAC below 10, was easy to clear. We had 150 KG of expensive calibration tools with us, packed in 7 suitcases.

 

Even after several requests too, with the Authorities, our RAC was not cleared and finally we jumped into the 2^nd class compartment. ( It was a Hyderabad bound train . Do not remember the name now. ).

 

It was a night train. It moved and after few local stations, it had to halt a little away from a Parel ( If I remember correct) local station in Mumbai.

 

Suddenly, we heard a big explosion like sound and electric sparks all around. That was the collision of Siddeswar Express behind our train (this driver had won the Best Driver award the previous week!!). The person who was sleeping on the top berth opposite fell on me. At the same time, the person sitting opposite to me was thrown to my head. Blood all over my face and around. It was from nose and behind my head. Many of the fellow passengers also were bleeding.

 

Finally, we were trying to get back taking out all expensive calibration tools, which will be costing few lakhs in 1980s. No one to help us (even the people watching and passing comments.) and no light as the overhead power lines were cut. Somehow we managed to take it to the nearest station, almost 300 meters away.

 

We got the real shock when we read the news papers the next day. My friend’s mother fainted when she read the news paper the next day morning. He had not told her when he came back home that he was involved in such an accident. He told a lie that the visit was cancelled.

 

Now we got into our office the next day morning and saw our colleagues staring us in disbelief. The reason is; the compartment in which we were supposed to travel and got the RAC ticked was the most damaged. No one survived in that compartment it seems (Not officially).

 

Some of the colleagues tried to touch us and feel that we are alive and not a ghost.

 

Terrible memory.

 

 

God saved us…really…

 

Just thought of sharing this with you all when such a tragic incident happened (Bengal train accident) .