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Time of India
02-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Vande Bharat incident: Railways to deploy safety measures along tracks
1 2 3 4 5 Patna: The recent tragic dead of a local resident after being hit by semi-high-speed Varanasi-Deoghar Vande Bharat Express on Nawada-Kiul route under Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) has once again brought attention to the urgent need for safety measures along railway tracks in Bihar. The 50-year-old man died in an attempt to save his two buffaloes that had strayed onto the tracks on Monday. This unfortunate incident has intensified demands from local residents, activists and public representatives to take preventive steps, particularly in rural and vulnerable areas where railway tracks pass through open fields or densely populated villages. "Introducing modern trains like Vande Bharat is a step forward towards connectivity, but safety must move forward too. Barricading vulnerable sections near villages and grazing areas is critical, especially where people and livestock regularly cross tracks," a social activist of Danapur, Pradeep Priyadarshi, said, adding that in states like Bihar, encroachments and unauthorised crossings are common. Talking to this newspaper on Wednesday, Danapur divisional railway manager (DRM) Jayant Kumar Choudhary said that the Railway Board had sanctioned a proposal to erect fences along DDU-Patna-Jhajha and Patna-Gaya routes of the division. The railways would build hard concrete boundary walls through thickly inhabited areas, while regular metallic crash barrier-type fencing would be erected in other stretches, he said. However, fencing all along railway tracks is a prerequisite requirement for high-speed trains running at 160km per hour. The board has sanctioned Rs 600 crore in the current budget for this work, which includes the construction of road over bridges and road under bridges at all vulnerable places in the division, the DRM said. The railways have started taking precautionary steps along vulnerable places by sealing them to prevent stray animals from coming on tracks, as well as checking trespassing in railway areas through which semi-high-speed trains pass daily, said Sonepur DRM Vivek Bhushan Sood.
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Time of India
Bihar shocker: Man dies trying to save buffaloes from Vande Bharat Express; all three hit, body flung several metres away
In a tragic incident near Sheikhpura, a 50-year-old man lost his life while trying to save two buffaloes from the Varanasi-Deoghar Vande Bharat Express. Gopal Yadav's heroic attempt to rescue the animals ended in a fatal collision on the Nawada-Kiul section. PATNA: A 50-year-old man died in an attempt to save two buffaloes from being struck by the Varanasi-Deoghar Vande Bharat Express near Sheikhpura on Monday. The incident occurred around 11am on the Nawada-Kiul section under the Danapur division of East Central Railway (ECR) when Gopal Yadav rushed onto the tracks to rescue the animals. Despite his efforts, all three were hit by the semi high-speed train. The force of the collision was so intense that the man's body and the buffalo carcasses were flung several metres and the remains scattered along the tracks. Eyewitnesses said the train was travelling at full speed when the buffaloes strayed onto the tracks. Yadav, in a desperate bid to save them, ran towards the animals but was caught in the path of the oncoming train. The loco pilot immediately applied emergency brakes and managed to stop the train, but not before the fatal collision occurred. According to Sheikhpura police, train services were briefly disrupted for around half an hour and the front portion of the locomotive sustained partial damage. Locals blame rlys after Vande Bharat mishap in Sheikhpura Locals expressed anger and blamed railway authorities for the incident, citing a lack of basic safety measures. "This stretch is known for livestock crossings, but no fencing or barricades have been installed even after the introduction of semi high-speed trains like Vande Bharat on the route," said Surendra Ram, a neighbour of the deceased. He added Yadav is survived by his wife and four minor children. Sheikhpura police station SHO Dharmendra Kumar said assistant sub-inspector Ashok Paswan visited the spot and recorded statements from the locals. "The body was seized and sent for post-mortem to sadar hospital," he added. Ravindra Yadav, Railway Protection Force (RPF) inspector at Mokama and currently in charge of the Kiul post, said the railways would soon begin an awareness campaign to discourage people from letting cattle roam freely near railway tracks.
