Goods train overshoots signal, probe ordered

LUCKNOW - A tragedy was averted on the Howrah-Delhi rail route, near a railway station in Uttar Pradesh’s Auraiya district, Tuesday when the driver of a goods train ignored the signal, taking the train several metres away from the spot where it was supposed to stop, officials said.

Railway authorities have constituted a seven-member committee to probe the incident that took place Tuesday evening near the Phaphund railway station, some 200 km from Lucknow.

“Prima facie it appears the driver of the train was at fault. The committee has been instructed to complete its enquiry at the earliest,” Chief Public Relations Officer North Central Railways R.D. Bajpai told reporters in Allahabad district, some 200 km from Lucknow.

According to officials, as a precautionary measure the electricity supply to the overhead cables was also snapped to get the train stopped. However, it is yet to be ascertained if the train stopped after snapping of the power supply or brakes applied by the driver.

The incident disrupted the traffic along the busy Howrah-Delhi rail route for around an hour, affecting movement of atleast six trains.