A gangman saved Howrah-bound Steel Superfast Express from getting derailed on Tuesday morning at Galudih, 45km from Tatanagar, by spotting a four-inch-wide crack on tracks just in time.

The crack had developed on the left flank of the railway tracks at a point in Galudih, Salgajhuri-Ghatshila section of the South Eastern Railway’s Kharagpur railway division.

As soon as gangman Rajni Mahto informed patrolling officials of engineering department of railways, they waved a red flag and burst crackers to alert the superfast train that was then running at 120kmph.

Though the driver slowed down the train by applying emergency brakes, it could stop only after a major portion of the vehicle had crossed the crack.

Crack apart, a fish-plate nearby had also moved.

The incident happened at 6.45am when the train, which had left Rakha Mines, was running towards its next stop, Ghatshila. Gangman Mahto had noticed the track two minutes before the train would have crossed Galudih, where it had no stop.

Once the train stopped, it was made to halt for about 50 minutes during which time engineers repaired the “rail fracture”. Train services between Tatanagar and Kharagpur were also disrupted for an hour.

Senior divisional commercial manager of Kharagpur division, M.D. Sahu, who also happens to be the railway spokesperson, said the crack developed due to contraction and expansion. “Contraction and expansion are common phenomena in early mornings. But, a major mishap was averted as the patrol staff raised an alert,” he told The Telegraph. “The track had developed the crack at the point of a welding.”

Passengers thanked god for the close shave. “We were really fortunate that the crack was detected on time. Else, no one could have stopped our train from getting derailed,” said passenger Ashok Adhikari.

Steel Superfast Express leaves Tatanagar at 6.15am. Comprising 22 coaches, including a luggage van, Steel is one of the most popular trains leaving Tatanagar, ferrying thousands to Howrah every morning.

Should monitoring of tracks be made more stringent?

Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com