Trains halt close near Gamharia; railways denies safety lapse

Patna: A potentially serious rail incident was averted on Thursday morning near Gamharia Junction under the Chakradharpur division of the South Eastern Railway where the Ara-Durg Express (13288) and a goods train were found on the same track in close proximity, leading to concern among passengers. However, the railways has categorically denied any safety lapse, claiming that the train operations were normal and fully compliant with signalling protocols.


According to sources, the two trains came to a halt barely 50 metres apart around 10.50am, allegedly after loco pilots applied emergency brakes on spotting danger ahead. One passenger, Mohd Gayasuddin, who had boarded the train from Danapur, said he felt a sudden jolt but initially did not realise the seriousness of the situation. “Passengers did not know what had happened until railway staff told us. It was frightening to think how close we were to a major accident,” he said.


However, in a clarification issued later, Chakradharpur divisional railway manager Tarun Huria rejected the claim that a head-on collision was narrowly avoided. The railways said no such incident occurred on Dec 11. “The movement of trains in this section was normal and in strict accordance with established signalling protocols,” the clarification said.


The railways explained that the locomotive seen ahead of the Ara-Durg Express was the rear engine of a push-pull freight train, a standard configuration used for banking operations. “13288 was following the freight train and had halted in the rear after observing due safety protocol and laid-down procedures. There was no safety violation or violation of railway rules,” the statement said.


The section operates under automatic signalling, where trains are permitted to follow one another within the same block while maintaining prescribed safety margins, the railway added, reiterating that there was “no chance of any head-on collision”.


Meanwhile, Soma Das Bose, PRO, SER, said the goods rake was moving towards Adityapur under standard automatic block territory rules. “These trains were not facing each other and were operating under full safety protocols,” she said.


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