Ferozepur Rail Division conducts Mock Drill to test emergency preparedness
Ferozepur, May 29, 2026: The Ferozepur Railway Division on Thursday conducted a large-scale mock drill at Ludhiana Railway Station under the guidance of Divisional Railway Manager Sanjeev Kumar and the leadership of Senior Divisional Safety Officer Rohit Verma to assess the preparedness of railway staff in handling emergency situations.
The mock drill was jointly carried out with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) at the Ludhiana Yard. The exercise aimed at training railway employees to effectively respond to emergencies such as train accidents, fire incidents and other disasters.
As part of the simulated scenario, a coach of a special Army rake reportedly collided with an unauthorized heavy road vehicle that had entered the railway tracks during shunting operations. The impact caused the coach to derail and catch fire, trapping nearly 20 to 25 maintenance workers inside.
Upon receiving information about the incident, railway authorities immediately initiated rescue operations. Relief trains including SPARMV and ART from Amritsar were rushed to the spot. Rescue efforts were jointly undertaken with the assistance of the NDRF, RPF, GRP and local administration, and all trapped persons were safely evacuated.
Railway officials stated that the derailed coach was restored on the tracks within approximately 40 minutes, after which the incident was declared a mock drill, highlighting the alertness and preparedness of railway personnel.
The main objective of the exercise was to strengthen coordination among various railway departments and government agencies including the fire brigade, local hospitals and the NDRF to ensure swift and efficient disaster response and restoration work during emergencies.
The 7th Battalion of NDRF Bathinda and the 14th Battalion Jasur (Nurpur) actively participated in the exercise under the leadership of Deputy Commandant Pankaj Sharma.
Senior officials present during the drill included Senior Divisional Mechanical Engineer Bhupendra, Assistant Safety Officer Bali Ram, Assistant Engineer Ludhiana Manoj Kumar Meena and Station Director Aditya Mehra, among others.