Signal work delays trains, triggers chaos at Hwh stn, RAF deployed
Times of India | 21 May 2025
Howrah: There was commotion at Howrah station's new complex on Tuesday evening after several trains were delayed and cancelled because of signal system work at Santragachhi rail yard.RAF and railway police had to be deployed to manage passenger unrest triggered by overcrowding on platforms.South-Eastern Railway (SER) has faced significant operational disruptions over two days due to signal system problems at Santragachhi rail yard, resulting in numerous cancellations and delays, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in intense summer heat. SER began upgrading the Santragachhi rail yard on April 30 to enhance train operations, including new track installation and signal system improvements.Although completion was planned for Sunday, May 18, the project faced complications. From Monday, the non-interlocking signal system malfunction began affecting both local and long-distance services. SER claimed problems had been fixed but admitted the cascading effect of delays had hit its services. "The signalling issue has been addressed but services are still hit. It will take some time for the situation to normalise," a railway official said.Tuesday saw delays of major trains. MGR Central-Shalimar Coromandel Express experienced a 15-hour delay on Tuesday. Other trains that were running hours behind included the Howrah-Mumbai Gitanjali Express, Howrah-Mumbai Duronto Express, Howrah-Bangalore Duronto Express, Howrah-Bangalore Humsafar Express, Howrah-Puri Vande Bharat Express, and Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express. The Howrah-Pune Azad Hind Express and Howrah-Chennai Mail were rescheduled from Monday to Tuesday afternoon. Several services faced cancellations, including the Howrah-Digha Kandari Express, Howrah-Purulia Express, and Howrah-Barbil Jan Shatabdi Express.Several passengers, including those with hospital appointments in southern states, have been waiting at the station since Monday evening. They voiced their angst about poor communication regarding schedule alterations and departure times, leading to crowds at the inquiry office. There were also complaints about delayed updates on electronic display boards. SER officials explained these issues were due to the ongoing work at Santragachhi rail yard."Almost all trains scheduled to pass through Santragachhi station have either been cancelled or delayed," said a source. SER released a statement on Tuesday evening, saying: "The non-interlocking work in connection with the yard remodelling and commissioning of electronic interlocking with 533 routes at Santragachhi of Kharagpur division was completed on Sunday. This type of huge work generally requires more days but to avoid passenger inconvenience, only one day's NI working was granted. Else, more would have remained cancelled for a longer period."