South Eastern Railway: Train services hit for nearly three hours due to public protest

Kolkata: Train movements on the South Eastern Railway (SER) were severely disrupted for nearly three hours on Sunday due to a public protest between Deulti and Kolaghat stations in the Kharagpur Division.

The protest began at 10 am when locals blocked all three Railway lines, demanding the construction of an underpass. Residents sat on the tracks near Nachak between Deulti and Kolaghat stations to protest the closure of a trespassing location, which forced them to take a longer route. SER officials explained that the trespassing point was closed for public safety as high-speed trains pass through the area at 130 kmph. They also noted that alternative crossing options are available nearby.

“This location was closed by the Railway authority to ensure the safety of local people because high-speed trains pass at 130 kmph.

There are alternative crossing options nearby. Railways have requested the civil authority to cooperate and help regarding the closure of unauthorised trespassing for public safety,” said an SER official.

The agitation caused major delays, with several express trains detained at various stations, including the Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express, Santragachi-Purulia Express, Shalimar-Puri Express, SMVT Bengaluru-Guwahati Express, MGR Chennai-Shalimar Coromandel Express, Purulia-Howrah Express, Bhadrak-Howrah Express and CSMT Mumbai-Howrah Mail.

Local train services were also severely affected.

Railway officials rushed to the site and engaged in discussions with the protestors. The agitation was withdrawn after 2 hours and 45 minutes, at around 12:45 pm, allowing train services to resume gradually.

The disruption caused severe inconvenience to passengers, including candidates travelling for the Group C and D recruitment exams at Bankura District Court. The Rupasi Bangla Express, carrying many candidates, was among the delayed trains, causing distress and uncertainty for exam aspirants.