The perfect combination of an eagle-eyed operator and emergency brakes sidestepped tragedy on the Cascais line over the weekend.
A split in the track, involving a 10cm gap, would almost certainly have derailed any passing train – but as an eyewitness told Correio da Manhã newspaper, this didn’t happen by a whisker, thanks to a railman with his wits about him.
“I heard the sound of brakes being slammed on hurriedly,” the witness, driving alongside the track at Algés, told CM.
“The train stopped five metres from the split which must have measured the length of a hand-a-half.
“Then I saw the railman get off the train and go and look at the line.”
Passengers were unaware of the danger they had risked. A Briton travelling on the line said: “The train stopped very suddenly, but there was no panic or injuries.”
As train authority REFER investigates the damage, the line is being repaired with some ensuing delays and rescheduling.
Direct trains from Cais de Sodré to Cascais are currently having to stop at every station but REFER is hoping to have the service back to normal before too long.
