A potentially disastrous rail incident was narrowly avoided in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum district when an overhead electric wire broke and landed on the Tata-Howrah Steel Express while it was crossing a railway bridge over the Subarnarekha River. This occurrence forced the train to come to a stop on the bridge, causing disruption to rail traffic on the Tata-Howrah section of the Indian Railways. Fortunately, there were no casualties reported as a result of the incident.
The incident took place around 7 a.m. near Chandrekha village under the Galudih police station area at the Ghatr railway bridge in the East Singhbhum district. The overhead electric wire suddenly snapped while the Steel Express was en route from Tatanagar to Howrah, leading to an immediate power supply disruption and necessitating the train to halt.
Passengers aboard the train mentioned hearing a loud creaking noise just before sparks were observed from the overhead line. Subsequently, the high-tension overhead electric wire fell onto the train’s roof, causing panic among passengers. Thankfully, due to railway safety measures, a serious accident was averted. As the train remained stuck on the bridge for an extended period, several passengers chose to disembark and walk along the railway track towards Galudih, with many later arranging alternative transportation on the nearby national highway to continue their journey.
Senior railway officials, technical staff, the Traction Rolling Distribution (TRD) team, and Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel promptly responded to the scene upon being notified about the incident. Power supply to the affected section was cut off before repair work commenced. Train operations on the Tata-Howrah route have been impacted due to the snapped overhead electric wire, with restoration efforts underway. Normal services will resume only after the damaged overhead line is fixed and the section is deemed safe for operations.
