Eastern Railway launches 7‑day safety drive after Behrampore accident
Kolkata, July 18
Eastern Railway has launched a seven‑day special safety drive at all non‑interlocked level crossing gates across its network following Friday's accident at Behrampore in Murshidabad district that claimed five lives, including three schoolchildren.
The accident occurred at the LC gate between Karnasubarna and Khagraghat Road stations, which is non‑interlocked. Officials said that had the gate been interlocked, the assistant station master (ASM) or station master (SM) could not have allowed the train to reach the spot.
Early Friday morning, a school van was crossing the LC when a train struck it and other vehicles.
An interlocked LC gate is connected to the signalling system of the nearest station cabin. When a gate needs to be closed for a train to pass, the ASM or SM alerts the gateman, who lowers the barriers and removes a key from the LC locking device.
This key is inserted into the signalling equipment hut (relay room), which energises a relay and sends an indication to the station control panel. Only after receiving this confirmation can the SM or ASM set the train's route.
Once the route is set, the key gets locked, preventing the gateman from removing it until the train has passed. The ASM or SM releases the route after the train crosses the LC gate, unlocking the key in the relay hut. The gateman then retrieves it, replaces it in the LC equipment, and opens the gate. The ASM and SM can see the actual gate status on the control panel, leaving no possibility of error.
Non‑interlocked LC gates have no such safeguards and operate solely on verbal communication. The SM or ASM contacts the gateman over railway phone to instruct closure when a train approaches. If the gateman falsely claims the gate is closed, the person at the control panel has no way to verify it.
Officials believe this is what happened at Behrampore. The gateman, who has been arrested, allegedly allowed vehicles to cross until the last moment, unaware the train was close.
"In the past, gatemen have been caught doing this, either due to pressure from locals or due to financial gain from commercial vehicles. There are about 60 non‑interlocked LC gates in the ER network. Efforts are on to convert them into interlocked ones," a senior official said.
— IANS
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