Patna/Samastipur: Passengers travelling through Bihar’s Samastipur district were briefly alarmed on Friday evening after four trains came to a halt one behind the other on the same railway track, prompting fears of a potential accident.
The incident occurred near Ateran Chowk on the Samastipur–Barauni rail section, where a freight train was followed by the Durgiana Express, the Awadh Express, the Rourkela–Jaynagar Express and the Clone Express. All four trains stopped in close succession, remaining stationary between railway crossings 50B and 50C.
News of multiple trains halted on a single track quickly spread among passengers and local residents, drawing crowds to the site and reviving memories of recent rail accidents elsewhere in the country. Railway officials, however, said there was no malfunction or safety breach. The trains were stopped deliberately under the Anti-Block Signal (ABS) system, a modern signalling technology designed to manage heavy traffic while maintaining safe distances between trains.
Samastipur station superintendent Nilesh Kumar said the freight train ahead had occupied the line, and all following trains were automatically brought to a halt at predetermined intervals until the track was cleared.
“This is a normal operating procedure under the ABS system,” Kumar said. “There is no need for passengers to panic. The system is specifically designed to ensure safe separation between trains.”
Under the ABS system, railway tracks are divided into smaller sections, or blocks, each monitored by sensors that detect train movement. Signals automatically change colour depending on whether the next block is clear, allowing multiple trains to stop safely on the same track without any risk of collision.
Officials said the system improves both safety and capacity, particularly on busy routes such as the Samastipur–Barauni section, and allows trains to resume movement one by one once the line ahead is clear.
