Chaos erupted at Lucknow’s busy Charbagh railway station on Friday morning after a portion of a platform shed suddenly came crashing down, leaving two passengers and a train ticket examiner (TTE) injured.
Chaos erupted at Lucknow’s busy Charbagh railway station on Friday morning after a portion of a platform shed suddenly came crashing down, leaving two passengers and a train ticket examiner (TTE) injured.
The collapse took place around 8 am on platform number 5, where passengers had gathered to board the Howrah-Doon Express (13037). The railway station is currently undergoing an extensive modernization project being executed by the Rail Land Development Authority.
Panic spread across the platform moments after the heavy metal structure collapsed. A video recorded shortly after the incident captured Railway Protection Force personnel rushing to rescue a passenger and a TTE whose limbs were trapped beneath the debris.
Related Articles
Railway officials stated that the damaged shed had already been marked for removal as part of the redevelopment exercise. While adjacent platform number 4 has remained closed for passenger train movement since May 15 due to the construction of an air concourse, platform 5 continued functioning for regular operations.
Northern Railway divisional railway manager Sunil Kumar Verma said platform 4 has been blocked for passenger trains till June 23. However, platform 5 was operational. "Unfortunately, a portion of the shed collapsed on Friday, injuring three people, including two passengers and a TTE," he said.
The injured passengers were identified as Sahil and Abhishek, who were travelling to Haridwar aboard the Howrah-Doon Express. The injured TTE was identified as Bhupinder Singh. Railway authorities confirmed that all three victims were immediately rushed for medical treatment and are now out of danger.
Senior divisional commercial manager Samarth Gupta said the injured persons are stable, while sources revealed that Bhupinder Singh suffered a fracture in his leg during the collapse.
Station director Gaurav Dixit said the two passengers sustained minor injuries and were discharged after treatment. He added that both passengers were provided an ex gratia compensation of Rs 5,000 each.
Following the incident, Northern Railway headquarters suspended the site engineer overseeing the redevelopment work and imposed a substantial penalty on the agency responsible for the construction activities.
Railway authorities have also constituted an inquiry committee to investigate the exact cause of the collapse and determine whether proper safety protocols were followed during the high-profile redevelopment project.
