Central Railway's silent warriors who keep railway crossings safe

Gateman Rajniranjan Chaubey is one among such silent warriors, who has been playing an important role to maintain the smooth functioning of trains

One of the key staffers of Central Railway working silently during these difficult times are the gatemen. Gatemen at various locations have been playing an important role in the smooth running of trains during lockdown with high responsibility and efficiency.

Gateman Rajniranjan Chaubey is one among such silent warriors, who has been playing an important role to maintain the smooth functioning of the trains. Chaubey has been performing his duty at engineering gate no.18 between Vangani and Shelu station. Nitin More and Narendra Kumar are also performing shift duty at the same gate with Choubey. Ratandeep Dalvi is a gateman at traffic gate no. 51A near Titwala while Rohidas Kakad is another gateman working at the same gate on shift duty with Dalvi.

Speaking to mid-day, Dalvi said, "We are fully-trained for the duty and aware of the rules in case any unusual occurrences happen. A gateman's job is a challenging one. Many times, vehicles try to enter the gate while the train is approaching the crossing gate."

"People are always in a hurry whenever they approach the railway crossing gate and try to cross even after the warning alarm is on. Gatemen counsel them and inform them it is for their own safety that they wait. It is also illegal to trespass the gate when it is closed. Entering the closed gate is not only dangerous to the intruder but also to the passengers of the train approaching the gate," Chaubey explains.

"Gatemen are always alert. They observe all passing trains and are ready to take action as may be necessary to ensure the safety of trains. If a signal near the gate is defective, the gateman uses a hand signal or pilot the train past the defective signal. In the event of a gate signal becoming defective, the gateman maintains the signal in 'ON' (red) position if necessary," Kakad said.

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