SM & Controller suspended after Janshatabdi diverted to under-repair track with hundreds of passengers onboard
The loco pilot spotted the signal in time and immediately applied the brakes before it entered the under-repair section, thus preventing a potential accident but this was a very serious safety lapse
The Agra division of #NorthCentralRailway has suspended a station master and a traffic controller after a Delhi-bound #Janshatabdi Express was diverted onto a track under maintenance, endangering the lives of hundreds of passengers.
The incident took place on Tuesday, 26 August when the Kota-Hazrat Nizamuddin Jan Shatabdi Express was approaching Hodal Station in Haryana. The was a very serious safety lapse.
“As a precautionary measure, the track maintenance team had already placed a red flag before the start of the loop line. The train crew spotted the signal in time and immediately applied the brakes, halting the train just a few metres before it entered the under-repair section, thus preventing a potential accident”, officials said.
At the time, the train was running between Mathura and its terminating station—Hazrat Nizamuddin. During the journey, a passenger reported a medical emergency, prompting the onboard ticket checking staff to alert the Agra control room with a request to halt the train so that medical assistance could be arranged.
Divisional operations manager Prashashti Shrivastav said, “Since the next immediate station was Hodal, the train was diverted there but the loop line was undergoing maintenance. The train was halted at Hodal for about 10 minutes before resuming its onward journey towards Delhi. Divisional railway manager Gagan Goyal has suspended Hodal station manager Satbir Singh and controller Upendra Yadav. A departmental inquiry has been initiated against them.”
“It could have resulted in a catastrophic accident had the loco pilot not acted with presence of mind to stop the train. For such serious safety lapses, accountability should not be limited to lower-level staff, senior officials too must be held responsible,” an official from the division said.
Regarding the health emergency, Prashanti Shrivastav said: “The passenger—a 61 year old man—had lost consciousness during the journey but was promptly attended to. He was later deboarded safely by his family at Ballabhgarh Railway Station after receiving medical treatment.”