When the guard did not find a chair to sit, he stopped Vaishali Express: Passengers remained restless for 38 minutes at Gorakhpur railway station, created panic in the railway department.

A very strange and shocking incident has come to light at Gorakhpur Junction, the headquarters of North Eastern Railway (NER) in Vaishali Superfast Express, which runs on one of the busiest and prestigious routes of Indian Railways. When 12553 Vaishali Express going from Saharsa in Bihar to New Delhi reached the platform of Gorakhpur Railway Station, the train guard (train manager) on duty there flatly refused to send the train further. The reason for this was not any technical fault, engine failure or any obstruction on the track, but the absence of a ‘chair’ to sit in the guard’s cabin (SLR/Brake Van). Due to this unexpected stubbornness and protest of the guard, this VIP superfast train stood helplessly at Gorakhpur station for about 38 minutes, due to which hundreds of passengers had to face problems amidst heavy humidity and heat and there was panic in the railway administration.

How the high-voltage drama started at Gorakhpur Junction: Know the complete sequence of the incident

Vaishali Express arrived at Gorakhpur Junction as per its scheduled time. As per the rules, there was to be a crew change (change of duty) of the running staff (loco pilot and guard). As soon as the new train manager entered the rearmost compartment of the train i.e. the brake van to take the train from Gorakhpur to Kanpur and New Delhi, he found that the revolving chair meant for sitting inside the bogie was not present or was badly broken.

Expressing his inability to travel long distance without a chair while standing, the guard expressed strong objection. He sent a message to the Station Master and the Carriage & Wagon (C&W) Department to immediately arrange for the chair. When no concrete arrangement was made for a few minutes and the Station Master gave the green signal of departure to move the train forward, the guard flatly refused to show the green signal citing rules and giving ‘All Right’ clearance to the loco pilot on the walkie-talkie.

There was chaos on the platform: the guard did not give signal until the chair was placed.

After the signal was stopped by the guard, there was chaos among the operating and commercial department officials at the station. The passengers sitting in the train standing on the platform were not able to understand why the superfast train was not moving forward despite the signal being green. Many passengers got down from the bogies and gathered near the interrogation center and the guard bogie.

Seeing the matter escalating, the station superintendent and technical staff of the carriage department rushed to the platform. At first the guard was persuaded and requested to move the train forward, but citing the safety and service rules of the Railways, the guard made it clear that unless there is proper seating arrangement in the cabin, the train will not move forward even an inch. Ultimately, considering the seriousness of the situation, a new chair was hastily ordered from the Railway Workshop/Store. The technical staff took the chair inside the brake van and fitted and fixed it properly. After this, the guard was satisfied and checked the brake pressure and flagged off the train. Precious 38 minutes were wasted in this entire process.

Passengers were inconvenienced and the speed of trains coming behind was affected.

Vaishali Express is one of the major premium trains in the country, in which most of the passengers travel to Delhi for scheduled travel, connecting flights or for important government-private work. There was immense anger among the passengers as the train stopped at Gorakhpur station for 38 minutes without any clear announcement. Children, elderly and women continued to suffer due to the scorching heat and humidity.

Apart from this, due to dense movement of trains on Gorakhpur-Lucknow railway section, Vaishali Express occupying the platform for 38 minutes had a ‘chain reaction’ effect on the operation of other mail-express and goods trains following behind. Some trains had to be detained at outer signals, which affected the time-table of rail traffic.

Train Guard (Train Manager)’s Side: What does Railway Running Staff Rule say?

After this incident, a debate broke out on social media and in railway circles whether this action of the guard was right or irresponsible. According to All India Guards Council and Running Staff Unions, the job of a train manager is not just to wave the green flag but also to ensure the safety of the entire train, monitoring of pressure gauges, operation of emergency brakes and taking immediate action in case of any emergency.

The guard has to travel continuously for 8 to 10 hours in a hesitant compartment. Under the safety rules of the Railway Board, it is mandatory for every brake van to have a shock-absorbing revolving chair, adequate ventilation, light, fan, first-aid box and working pressure gauge. If the bogie does not have basic facilities, serious lapses in safety may occur due to physical fatigue. The employees argue that when the train left from the origin depot (Saharsa or Barauni), during the primary maintenance, the carriage department should have ensured that all the mandatory equipment and furniture in the brake van is in good condition or not.

Strict investigation of North Eastern Railway (NER) administration: Accountability will be fixed

This unexpected incident has been taken very seriously by the North Eastern Railway Administration and Operating Department. That a VIP superfast train was standing at the headquarters station for so long in the absence of just one chair directly exposes the gross negligence of maintenance and coordination.

Senior Divisional Operations Manager (DOM/Sr. DOM) of Railways has ordered a detailed departmental inquiry into this entire matter. The investigation is mainly looking into two points:

• How was the train dispatched from the originating station (Primary Maintenance Depot) without mandatory chair and checking?

• Could the train guards have coordinated with the station administration to take the train to the next bigger station, or was this a direct act of obstruction of duty and taking passengers hostage?

According to administrative sources, after the investigation report comes, appropriate departmental disciplinary action will be taken after fixing the accountability of the maintenance supervisor, carriage staff and train manager of the concerned depot.