Bhubaneswar: A minor incident involving empty passenger rakes during a routine shunting operation in Bhubaneswar on Thursday has sparked conflicting narratives.
While early reports painted a picture of a near-catastrophic event, East Coast Railway (ECoR) authorities have firmly downplayed the severity, confirming that there were no casualties, injuries, or disruptions to mainline train services
According to a press release issued by ECoR, the incident occurred during a low-speed, routine shunting movement. An empty rake being repositioned for scheduled maintenance came into close proximity with another stationary, unoccupied rake. “Both rakes were empty at the time of the incident. No casualty, injury or disruption to train services has been reported.”
It further stated that railway officials and technical staff promptly took necessary measures to secure the rolling stock and assess the situation. “Train operations on the main line and passenger services remain unaffected,” it added.
Earlier reports suggested that a massive head-on collision was narrowly averted near Jharpada bridge, located between the Bhubaneswar and Vani Vihar railway stations, when a train departing Bhubaneswar toward Cuttack on the down line found itself face-to-face with another train traveling in the opposite direction on the exact same track. The incident reportedly caused panic and severely disrupted train services on the critical Bhubaneswar-Cuttack down line for a significant period.
