Rajdhani Express from Delhi to Bhubaneswar’s narrow escape in Bengal’s Purulia
A tractor carrying fuel barrels that had been stopped on the tracks close to a manned railway crossing at the Santaldih station in West Bengal’s Purulia district was narrowly avoided by the Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express.
The event took place on Tuesday night. The Rajdhani Express driver slowed down the train’s speed as soon as he saw the tractor from a distance. However, the sidewalls of two compartments behind the engine managed to brush past the tractor’s body.
The change caused the train to be delayed by around 45 minutes. Manish Kumar, the divisional railways manager for the Adra division, told the media that there had been no reports of damage. However, according to railway authorities, the gateman at the manned level crossing has been suspended and an internal investigation has been opened.
The train was headed for Bhubaneswar from New Delhi. The train was travelling quickly since Santaldih station was not a planned stop. However, the train’s driver’s vigilance was what prevented a serious accident. Four days had passed since the quadruple train catastrophe in Odisha’s Balasore area, which resulted in 278 fatalities and more than 1,000 injuries, had he not seen the tractor and slowed down the pace.
