On Tuesday, 18th July 2023, a potential disaster was skillfully averted near Baruna Singh Chowk at Nilgiri Road railway station in Balasore district, Odisha, as a vigilant Memu train pilot saved numerous lives. The incident occurred a mere 15 km away from the tragic Bahanaga triple train accident site.
According to reports, the Memu train had mistakenly entered a loop line track where construction work was in progress. Thanks to the presence of the alert loco pilot, who sensed something amiss and acted promptly, a tragedy was averted. The quick pilot applied the brakes upon noticing an anomaly at the track endpoint.
The Memu train was en route to Balasore from Bhadrak district when the loco pilot took action, reversing the train towards Balasore, temporarily affecting the movement of other trains on the route.
One of the passengers, Bijaydhar Barik, shared his account, saying, “It was only the train driver who spotted something wrong in the tracks. The train later reversed some 200 to 300 meters and we got down from the train. The train was moving at a slow speed and stopped at a distance from the track which had some issues.”
The loco pilot of the Memu train shed light on the incident, stating, “The train was moving at a speed of 7 to 8 kilometres per hour and the track was set in the opposite direction as some construction work was going on… The point could have busted… There was no chance of any derailment of the train but tracks would have been damaged.”
Following the incident, the Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) summoned two officials, including the Nilagiri Station Road manager, for questioning. They have been instructed to provide detailed information regarding the occurrence, according to sources.
While the potential tragedy was averted, the incident has left passengers anxious about train travel in the region. Just last month, Balasore witnessed a devastating train accident that garnered worldwide attention, resulting in over 290 fatalities, involving the Coromandel Express and a goods train.