Woman climbs train engine at Tambaram railway station, threatens suicide

CHENNAI: A distressed woman climbed atop a stationary train's engine and threatened to take the extreme step on Tuesday night, sending the Tambaram Railway Station into frenzy.

The commotion began around 9 pm on Tuesday, when the woman began climbing the support engines, near a footover bridge, used to move the parked trains. A railway staff member who caught the act tried to stop the woman, but she quickly climbed to the top of the engine and tried to touch the high-voltage overhead cable.

In efforts to rescue her, the railway workers immediately alerted the control, which shut down the power supply to the particular section.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and the railway police, along with other staff, rushed to the spot and managed to bring the woman down forcibly.

During the investigation, the police found that the woman was from North India, who spoke only Hindi and was believed to be around 40 years old. She kept repeating the same words, and the police suspect that she may be mentally unstable. The investigation is on, and arrangements are being made to admit the woman to a mental health facility.

This is the second instance of a high-tension incident at the Tambaram Railway Station. Recently, another North Indian man, allegedly under the influence of drugs, climbed into a cabin of an electric train and attempted to hijack it. He was caught by the railway staff and handed over to the RPF.