Indian Railways, already under scrutiny for various issues, is now making headlines for an unusual reason. A video circulating online reveals a train guard manually opening a level crossing in Bihar’s Siwan district. The footage shows a local reporter near the crossing as a train stops a few meters away from the gate. The train guard then exits the train, walks back to the gate, opens it to allow waiting vehicles to pass, and subsequently returns to the train to continue its journey. This incident has sparked a debate on social media about railway safety and regulations
In the clip, the local reporter is heard saying, “The train has crossed but the gate is still down. The train will stop ahead and the guard will come out with a handle. He will use the handle to lift the gate and then the train will move forward again. This is how the crossing works in Bihar’s Siwan district. It’s a unique system in Bihar where the train’s loco pilot or guard personally open and closes the gate.” When the reporter tried inquiring if this practice had been going on for years, the guard remained silent on the matter.
Meanwhile, sharing the video on X, a user wrote, “Amazing sight, as the train guard or driver gets off to close the gate. Is this Bihar’s development or the railway minister’s hard work?”
दुनिया का अजूबा ट्रेन गार्ड या ड्राइवर उतरकर गुमती को बंद करता है!!😱!!क्या हे बिहार का विकास है? या रेल मंत्री (Reel Mantri) @AshwiniVaishnaw का मेहनत का कमाल है? pic.twitter.com/doVnX2u1se— Suraj G Naik (@yoursurajnaik) August 1, 2024
Soon after the video was shared online, Railway Seva tagged the local authority and urged them to investigate the matter.
संबंधित अधिकारियों को सूचित किया जा रहा है। @drmbsbner— RailwaySeva (@RailwaySeva) August 2, 2024
Reacting to the post, a user wrote, “Staff ki shortage hai. (There’s a shortage in staff).”
Staff ki shortage hai Bhai— was (@was_vishu0135) August 2, 2024
Another shared, “This is one of the ways to curtail expenditure. After all you can see on your train tickets how much subsidy the government gives you.”
This is one of the ways to curtail expenditure. After all you can see on your train tickets how much subsidy the government gives you.— DR. ERA KUMARI (@homoeoclinique) August 3, 2024
“This is the living proof, a guard doing extra work, for no extra salary,” a comment read.
He did claim, at the top of his voice in the Parliament, tht his railway works very hard. This is the living proof, a guard doing extra work outside of his JD, for no extra salary.— Taurus 294 (@smneeraj2001) August 2, 2024
Another wondered, “Does the train also stop before the gate so that the guard can close it just for the train to pass?”
Does the train also stop before the gate so that the guard can close it just for the train to pass?— a p (@awimagic) August 2, 2024
An individual informed, “This happens on some single line sections where the daily traffic is very less and it is not very economical to put a cabin and employ people on every level crossing,”
This happens on some single line sections where the daily traffic is very less and it is not very economical to put a cabin and employ people on every level crossing.— Piyush Srivastava (@Srivastava0708P) August 2, 2024
One more added, “It seems like the train administration is living in the 16th century.”
लगता है 16वीं शताब्दी में जी रहा है यहां का ट्रेन्ड प्रशासन 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄— ठेठ भारतीय (@thethbhartiy) August 3, 2024
Since the video from Bihar was shared online, it has garnered over 1 million views.
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