BENGALURU: The Yesvantpur-Kochuveli Express encountered a problem near the closed level crossing gate in the Munnekolala area of Bengaluru’s Marthahalli on Tuesday night, coming to a halt.
Meanwhile, the gateman opened the railway gate to clear the road traffic until the problem was resolved. An Instagram user, a local resident, shot a video of the incident, claiming that the train was stuck in a traffic jam in the city, which made it go viral.
The train departed from Yesvantpur at 8:45 PM.
Sharing details, a senior railway official told TNIE, “Train no. 12257 was stopped by the loco-pilot before the level crossing gate 133 on September 24 between Baiyappanahalli and Carmelaram due to a rake check being carried out by the crew.”
“The Assistant Loco Pilot and the Train Manager were carrying out the checks after the Loco Pilot heard some sound while the train was running,” the official added.
The train did not stop due to a traffic jam but for checks, he stressed. “In order to avoid congestion of road traffic, the LC gate was opened by a gateman. After the completion of rake checks and closure of the LC gate, the train was passed,” the official said.
The video shot by local resident Sudhir Chakravarthi depicts the Loco Pilot on board the Kochuveli Express honking and waiting on the railway tracks, where traffic is seen piling up on SJR Dental College Road, with cars and autos stuck from one side of the gate to the other.
It is likely that the video was shot after the issue was resolved and the loco crew was signalling a message to the gateman.
Chakravarthi, a Systems Analyst, uploaded the video on Tuesday night with the caption: “Just Bengaluru things. Not just me or you, even trains can't escape Bengaluru traffic." The post went viral, garnering nearly 200,000 views, and the public had a whale of a time mocking Bengaluru traffic.
He told TNIE, "I had completed my dinner and was walking with my friend last night around 10 PM when I saw this chaos near the gate. We often witness traffic on this road near the gate from 5 PM. When I saw the train stopped for traffic, I decided to do something about it and captured the scene immediately. We then decided to upload it on social media."