Alert signalman averts train disaster in Odisha

An alert Railways signalman Tuesday averted a train accident as Bhubaneswar-Jagdalpur Hirakhand Express was halted soon after the detection of a crack on the railway track in Odisha's Rayagada district, a Railways official said.

The crack was spotted by signalman Baishnav Gouda near Singapur Road station rear Rayagada and he immediately informed the station master, he said. When the train was approaching, I sensed the track created more sound than usual. I inspected it and spotted a crack on the rail track. Immediately I informed the station master not to clear the line, Gouda said.

The train was halted near the station for around one-and-a-half hour. It departed for Jagdalpur after repair and restoration of the damaged portion of the track, a Railways official said.