Dhanbad: Railway is keen on resuming services on a 14km stretch of the 34km Dhanbad-Chandrapura line and wants to test the tracks that traverse over underground mine fires by running a goods train for six months, but the mining regulator on whose warnings trains had stopped plying doesn't think it is good idea.
The plan, according to chief public relations officer of East Central railway (ECR) Rajesh Kumar, was to minutely observe track behaviour during the trail run of the goods train for around six months. Depending on the reports, the railways would consider reintroducing passenger trains on the line that has been closed since June 2017.
"Chances of accidents or loss of human lives during the trial run are negligible. But, it will help us study the risks involved in running trains," Kumar told The Telegraph from Hajipur on Friday, the day after the GM of East Central Railway Lalit Chandra Trivedi held talks with six MPs on passenger amenities in the Dhanbad division.
ECR had sent a proposal for conducting a six-month trail run of a goods train on the line to Railway Board last month after a survey of fire-affected sections of the track was carried out by ECR general manager along with the CMD of Bharat Coking Coal (BCCL) on July 21.
Another inspection was carried out by additional GM of ECR, Hajipur, Vidya Bhushan on July 30 when he was on a two-day visit to the Dhanbad division.
Asked about safety and whether the opinion of the Directorate General of Mines Safety would be taken, since it was DGMS's opinion that ultimately led to the suspension of services, Kumar said it was up to the Railway Board to approach the mining regulator.
"The railways does not need the sanction of DGMS to run trains. In some cases it requires the sanction of the Commissioner of Railway Safety to operate trains," he explained.
Asked if the Railway Board had reached out to them, DGMS director Sanjivan Ray said there was no change in the fire affected section of the Dhanbad-Chandrapura line since last year. "The railway board has not sought any fresh report on fire status. But, if they do we will not recommend operation of trains, given the present situation," he told The Telegraph.
In all, services of 26 pairs of passenger and express trains were discontinued following the closure of the Dhanbad- Chandrapura line on June 15, 2017. Of these, seven pairs of trains from Dhanbad station have started plying through the Dhanbad-Gomoh section.
But the closure of the line has hit over five lakh residents of Katras and adjoining Sonardih, Bhatmurna, Nawagarh, Baghmara, Angarpathra, Bansjora, Sijua and Jamuniatand. They used to come to Katras using the Dhanbad-Chandrapura-Muri passenger train which is among the trains that has stopped running.
