Eastern Railway has acknowledged a delay in closing an interlocked level-crossing gate in Hooghly district while a local train was approaching, but said there was no evidence that the gatekeeper was asleep as claimed in a viral video. The railway said the incident involved gate number 7/C/E in the Guptipara–Jirat section on September 15 and resulted from lapses in duty handover and communication between the station master and gatekeeper.
The crossing was located on the Katwa line near Somra Kolora in Hooghly district. According to Eastern Railway chief public relations officer Shibram Majhi, the railway investigated the incident using data-logger records, the train’s speed chart, gate voice recordings and statements from the employees involved.
The investigation found that the gate remained open to road traffic for longer than it should have while train 37754 Down Local was approaching. At that point, the gate signal SW-2 was displaying ‘on’, indicating that the train had to follow the applicable cautionary procedure, the railway said.
The motorman reduced the train’s speed from approximately 36 kilometres per hour to 20 kilometres per hour after observing the signal, according to the railway’s account. The level-crossing gate was completely closed and locked at 9.22 pm, after which the SW-2 signal was cleared.
The train passed the green signal at 9.22 pm and 17 seconds and crossed the fully closed and locked level crossing at 9.22 pm and 51 seconds. Eastern Railway said the train did not stop, but also said there was no accident, injury or property damage. It added that the train neither passed a danger signal nor operated in a dangerous manner.
The clarification followed the circulation of a video on social media alleging that the level-crossing gate had been open when the train arrived and that the gatekeeper had been sleeping. The railway said the allegation about the gatekeeper sleeping was not supported by its investigation. It also said that the name of the person identified in the video was incorrect. The original report carrying the video did not independently verify its authenticity.
Eastern Railway said its investigation nevertheless identified failures in the duty handover and takeover process, as well as a lack of timely communication between the station master and the gatekeeper. Departmental action against the employees concerned has been initiated, the railway said.
The incident highlights the operational importance of interlocked level crossings, where the road gate, railway signalling system and train movement must work in sequence. In this case, the train was able to proceed only after the signal changed and the gate was fully closed and locked, according to the railway’s findings. The railway said corrective and procedural measures were also being taken to prevent a recurrence.
