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
Reader Comments
Heartbreaking to hear about five lives lost, including schoolchildren. The gateman clearly failed in his duty, but the system is also to blame—relying on verbal communication alone in non-interlocked gates is a recipe for disaster. Railways should digitalize everything ASAP. My heart goes out to the families. 🙏
Really sad incident. The failure was twofold: the gateman's negligence and the railway's lack of proper safety measures. In many countries, level crossing gates are automated with sensors—why can't Indian Railways invest in that? I understand budget constraints, but lives are more important. Hope the drive leads to real change.
As someone who uses trains daily, this hits close to home. Non-interlocked gates are a common sight in rural areas, and it's scary how much trust is placed on one person's word. The system described—where the key gets locked until the train passes—should be implemented everywhere. Also, why is the gateman allegedly taking money from vehicles? That corruption needs to be rooted out. Chaar logon ki jaan chali gayi is wajeh se.
Very distressing. The concept of interlocked gates explained here is fascinating from an engineering perspective, but the fact remains that non-interlocked gates are outdated and dangerous. I appreciate the railway's quick response with a safety drive, but they should have done this long ago. Also, the school van driver—were they aware of the risks at that gate? Community awareness is also key.
Three schoolchildren gone—that's three families wrecked forever.
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