Railway pointsman dies during engine coupling at CSMT

Sources in the CR claimed that neither the assistant loco pilot nor shunting supervisor was available to assist Seth for coupling of engine.

On the allegations of absence of a supervisor, a CR official said that usually assistant loco pilot is on site during coupling and uncoupling of engines to assist the pointsman, and in this case, it will be investigated.

As per the CR, at CSMT station alone, 300 coupling and uncoupling of engines are being done considering that a large number of long distance express and mail services operate daily.

Last year, in a similar incident on Western Railway’s Matunga workshop, a senior pointsman Kasim Shaikh, 44, died while he was setting point to create a new path for the engine to move outside.

However, the boogies came in the reverse direction instead and hit him leading to his death.