History chugged in for the last time at 8.55am on Dhanbad station platform 6.
The Dhanbad-Chandrapura-Muri Passenger (53342 Down), which covered 102km and 16 stations and halts between Muri and Dhanbad, had completed its 121-year-old run.
And the emotions of passengers and rail staff - anger, uncertainty and the prickling feeling that comes with the end of an era - welled out
Trackmen ran to take groupfies against the backdrop of the historic seven-coach train. Students and office-goers lingered on before alighting on the platform.
Introduced in 1896 during the high noon of British rule, the train was the affordable commuting lifeline for over 20,000 people every day, including students, officer-goers and daily wagers between Dhanbad and Chandrapura. From Thursday, along with 18 more pairs (Up and Down) of trains, this historic passenger train stays indefinitely cancelled following the Railway Board's decision to close the 34km underground fire-hit Dhanbad-Chandrapura railway line. The rest of seven trains on this line have been diverted.
Md Ayan, 25, who lives in Chatabad locality of Katras and is training to be an electrician from KK ITI, Dhanbad, was one of Dhanbad-Chandrapura's regulars. "This is our last ride. I am saddened, so are my batch mates. We have all been taking this train since we enrolled at KK two years ago," he said.
Claiming not to know fully why the railway line was closed, he said: "What is know is our life will become more difficult."
Ayan, a motor mechanic's son, will henceforth have to spend Rs 50 a day to commute by autos between Chatabad and Dhanbad. To travel by train, he paid Rs 100 per month for a season ticket. "Daily Rs 50 is a huge sum, but the one-way ride from my home to institute costs Rs 25. Our family budget will be hurt, but I have to finish my course to earn money," he said.
Pankaj Mishra, 21, another student of KK ITI who stays in Baghmara, added they never imagined the railway line would close so suddenly. "Feeling lost," he said. Katras resident Ranjit Singh, 32, a speech therapist and special educator of Jeevan Jyoti School of Dhanbad, agreed. "The railway line and Dhanbad-Chandrapura train in particular were our lifeline. Though I sometimes rode to work on my motorcycle, I preferred the train. We were emotionally attached to it."
Trackmen Pramod Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, Ravindra Kumar, Mitlal Mahto, Dharmvir Paswan, Kanhaiya Paswan and Guddu Kumar, responsible for safety of tracks, clicked groupfies against the train.
Admitting the underground fire had worsened and it was getting risky to run trains over areas like Bansjora and Angarpathra, trackman Umashankar Sharma added: "Despite being aware of reality, we are saddened that the line is being closed." Added his colleague Kanhaiya Kumar: "It's double trauma for us. Not only is this line closing, we don't know where we would be transferred."
Dhanbad-Chandrapura's loco pilot and guard Surendra Prasad and B.P. Yadav emerged slowly from the train after bringing it to Dhanbad.
"It's the last time," Prasad said. "Had no idea it would be so painful."
I am feeling like what a father feels being separated from his daughter after her marriage," Yadav, the guard, added.
Security review
A high-level meeting on Wednesday reviewed security for the closure of the Dhanbad-Chandrapura railway line from Thursday, when five additional companies of policemen will keep vigil.
The two-hour huddle from 10am was attended by newly appointed North Chotangpur IG Murari Lal Meena and Dumka IG Suman Gupta, besides deputy commissioner A. Dodde, SSP Manoj Ratan Chothe and superintendent of railway police H.H. Janardhannan, among others.
Was it wrong to stop the Dhanbad-Chandrapura train? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com
