Joint mock exercise held on train accident rescue at Ernakulam Marshalling Yard

A joint mock exercise held at the Ernakulam Marshalling Yard on Friday (March 21, 2025). 
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

In a demonstration of emergency preparedness and inter-agency coordination to rush rescue and relief to passengers during exigencies, the Thiruvananthapuram Division of the Southern Railway conducted a joint mock exercise at the Ernakulam Marshalling Yard on Friday.

The exercise was conducted in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Fire and Rescue Services department, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), district-level medical services, and other agencies. The exercise was aimed at enhancing coordination, efficiency, and readiness of the Railways and various agencies concerned in tackling emergency situations like train accidents, in a swift and coordinated manner, says a release.

As part of the exercise, a train accident scene was created at the marshalling yard, involving the ‘derailment and capsizing’ of two sleeper coaches. Soon after the accident alert was sounded at 8.44 a.m., personnel of railway emergency teams and external rescue agencies activated their response mechanisms.

They included the railway medical team, St. John ambulance service, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and those from mechanical, safety, signal, electrical, engineering, personnel and commercial wings of the Railways. Additional support was provided by Scouts and Guides, civil defence and ambulance services personnel.

While the medical, commercial and mechanical teams, along with the NDRF and fire and rescue services teams, promptly evacuated the ‘injured’ passengers from the derailed coaches, the accident response team of the Railways, NDRF, and fire and rescue services personnel used their technical expertise to swiftly cut through the derailed coaches to extract trapped passengers, while minimising potential injuries.