Drama unfolded at Bihar’s Thakurganj railway station as a loco pilot’s strict adherence to duty hours left a packed DMU train motionless for three hours. The pilot’s sudden exit mid-route enraged passengers who had already tolerated significant delays on the vital Malda-Siliguri corridor.
Train 75719, a lifeline for local laborers and traders, left Malda three hours late and reached Thakurganj at 2:52 PM. With his nine-hour limit reached, the pilot invoked railway safety rules and refused to budge. Station master and guard’s persuasions fell on deaf ears; he disembarked promptly.
Hundreds onboard—families, merchants heading to Siliguri, workers to Kishanganj—faced the standstill. Platform 1 turned into a bottleneck, halting other movements. Vocal protests erupted from the crowd, tired of the endless wait without food or updates.
Explaining his stance, the pilot noted prior memos from Dalkhola about the delay. No standby driver was on hand, forcing reliance on one dispatched from Siliguri. Only after this lengthy wait did the train lurch forward, much to everyone’s relief.
Indian Railways mandates rest after 9-10 hours for pilots to avert mishaps from exhaustion. This case underscores staffing shortages at remote outposts. While rules protected the pilot, passengers paid the price, renewing calls for smarter rostering and rapid response teams on busy regional lines.