During emergencies or critical situations during a train journey, one may want to stop the train. Chain pulling is one of the ways to handle this situation, but this is also not to be done as and when you feel like it, as it is punishable if done under certain circumstances. This article gives you an insight into all your concerns related to chain pulling in trains.
What Happens When You Pull The Chain
When you pull the emergency chain of the train, the pressure falls on the main brake pipe of the train, which is connected to the alarm chains. The air that is stored in the brake is released when the chain is pulled, slowing down the train. A train moving at high speed may take a few minutes to stop, avoiding derailment of the train when it comes to a sudden halt.
Genuine Reasons When The Chain Can Be Pulled
There are certain reasons for which you can pull the chain of the train. These include:
- Medical emergencies
- Accidents such as fire in the train
- Boarding with a disabled or elderly person
- Safety purposes like robbery, dacoits, etc.
Other reasons for which the chain has been pulled is evaluated by the railway authorities before considering or punishing the deed.
When Is Chain Pulling Punishable
Chain pulling in trains can be punishable if you pull the chain for reasons that are not mentioned above. As per Section 141 of the Railways Act, “Needlessly interfering with means of communication in a train:
If any passenger or any other person, without reasonable and sufficient cause, makes use of, or interferes with, any means provided by a railway administration in a train for communication between passengers and the railway servant in charge of the train, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees, or with both: provided that, in the absence of special and adequate reasons to the contrary to be mentioned in the judgment of the court, where a passenger, without reasonable and sufficient cause, makes use of the alarm chain provided by a railway administration, such punishment shall not be less than:
(a) a fine of five hundred rupees, in the case of conviction for the first offence; and
(b) imprisonment for three months in case of conviction for the second or subsequent offence.”
So, the next time you travel on train and want to pull the chain, make sure that the situation is unavoidable and that you are not putting the life of your co-passengers at stake.
