Train blocked by a pick-up truck in India
India is an amusing place to be in and it is not difficult to find unusual things on the road. India is a vast country and has the world’s second largest road network system and fourth largest rail network system. There are many places where the railway and roadway cross each other and the traffic is controlled by level-crossings or flyovers and underpasses. Sometimes the trains run along the roads but most of the times they are at a distance from the roads.
Here is a video from Pathankot, Punjab, where the railway carriageway runs parallel and close to the city roads due to lack of space. The video shows a Tata Xenon pick-up parked with two tyres on the railway track. A locomotive can be seen rolling up slowly on the track and the driver in the Xenon seems to have no idea about what’s behind the car. The train stops at a distance and uses the loud shrill horns to announce its position.
After a few seconds, the driver of the Xenon realizes that there is a train behind him and moves away from the spot to give way to the train. It should be noted that blocking the way of a train in India is a crime for which the culprit can be fined and jailed. However, it seems like a regular incident in the area and the locomotive operator carried on with his duty.
The video shows many cars parked around the railway line but none of them is blocking the way. It is quite possible that the train passes through this crowded stretch of the road regularly and the locomotive operators keep the train at a slow speed to avoid any accidents. Even after emergency braking, a train needs quite some distance to come to a complete halt because of the huge momentum. There are some things that you only get to see in India and this is what makes the country special in a way!
Written By – Shantonil Nag.
