Thane, Apr 19 (IANS): Displaying rare courage and presence of mind, a Central Railway employee raced an oncoming express train to save the life of a young boy who had fallen on the railway track, officials said here on Monday.

The incident happened on April 17 evening at Vangani Station of Central Railway in Thane and the Pointsman Mayur Shelke's feat earned him an appreciative tweet from Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

As per CCTV footage, a visually-handicapped woman is seen carrying a heavy rucksack walking on the platform when a 6-year-old child accompanying her suddenly seems to stumble and fall on to the railway tracks below.

The footage also shows the Bengaluru-Mumbai Udayan Express train speeding on the same track when the Pointsman Shelke is seen running on that track from the opposite direction to help the boy.

As the train speed headlong before him, he seemed to hesitate momentarily, but continued to sprint and helped up the child who was trying to clamber on the high platform.

Shelke pushed the child up and also desperately hoisted himself as barely a second later the train zoomed onto the platform, but both the kid and his guardian angel were saved by virtually by a hair's breadth.

"Very proud of Mayur Shelke, Railwayman from the Vangani Railway Station who has done an exceptionally courageous act, risked his own life & saved a child's life," said Goyal in a tweet.

CR Spokesperson Shivaji Sutar said the staffer is being rewarded for his alertness and daring which helped rescue a boy from certain death on the tracks.

Further details of the blind woman and the minor boy, how they happened to be on the platform during the lockdown norms, etc, are awaited, but Shelke's feat has made him a darling of social media.