BHUBANESWAR: Three railway staff, including a loco pilot and assistant loco pilot of the Howrah-Puri Shatabdi Express, were detrained after the train allegedly overshot a signal at Soro railway station in Balasore district under the South Eastern Railway (SER), a railway official confirmed on Monday.
The incident, which occurred on Sunday evening, could have led to a major mishap, but it was averted due to the timely intervention of railway officials from the Kharagpur divisional headquarters.
Sources said the Howrah-Bhubaneswar Jan Shatabdi Express, which normally departs Soro station at 5 pm, was delayed by nearly 37 minutes and was about to leave the station at 5.39 pm after its scheduled two-minute halt.
Accordingly, the Jan Shatabdi Express had been cleared with a green signal at the South cabin, and consequently, the Shatabdi Express, whose scheduled departure was at 5.38 pm at the no-halt station Soro, was held at the North cabin with a red signal, restricting its entry into the station area until clearance was given.
However, despite the red signal, the Shatabdi Express, moving at a slower speed than usual, proceeded past the red light towards the station.
The lapse was immediately detected by officials monitoring from the Kharagpur control room, who quickly alerted the Soro station manager and loco pilot, preventing the train from moving further, railway sources said.
Following the incident, officials from Soro and Balasore rushed to the spot.
As per safety protocol, the loco pilot, assistant loco pilot and guard of the Shatabdi Express were de-boarded at the next station at Markona.
A replacement crew was immediately arranged to operate the train, which eventually reached Puri over two hours behind schedule. Meanwhile, the SER has ordered a detailed probe to ascertain whether human error or lapses in operational protocol were responsible for the incident.
While the loco pilot reportedly insisted that the signal was not visible, spot verification by railway officials indicated that visibility was clear at the time.
“Although there was no mishap or loss of property, this qualifies as an accident in railway terms. The matter has been taken very seriously, and action will be taken once the inquiry report is submitted,” a railway official said.
Sources said had the signal-overshooting not been detected on time, the Shatabdi could have collided with the Jan Shatabdi, which was preparing to depart the station.
While passengers inside both trains remained unaware of the danger, eyewitnesses at Soro station said panic spread among locals and passengers on the platform as the two trains came close to each other.