Punjab: Inebriated driver leaves truck on rail track in Ludhiana, loco pilot averts accident

An allegedly inebriated truck driver left his vehicle onto a railway track here, minutes before a train was to cross the stretch, officials said.

On being alerted, the loco pilot slowed down the train and halted it a few metres away from the truck, averting a collision, they said.

The truck driver drove his vehicle onto the main Ludhiana-Delhi railway track on Friday night and started moving towards the Ludhiana railway station from Sherpur before it got stuck, said Government Railway Police (GRP) Investigating Officer Jasvir Singh.

The driver fled the spot but the locals who spotted the truck on the track informed the railway authorities in time, Singh said.

The truck was later removed from the track and the driver was arrested, the police said.

The rail traffic was disrupted for some time and restored after about an hour, they said.

A medical examination of the driver confirmed that he was under the influence of alcohol, they said.