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Chhattisgarh Railway Accident: Relatives ignore helpline amid agitation; TB campaign gets unique 'welcome'
Nagpur | Updated at 10:30 am on November 5, 2025
The entire country was shaken by the train accident that took place near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday afternoon. While initial reports indicate that many passengers were injured in this horrific incident, the railway administration's role in completely ignoring the concerns and outcry of the relatives has created anger in the minds of the people. Relatives rushed to the helpline number to know about the accident, but the response received there is a wake-up call for the Railways' 100-day 'TB-free' awareness campaign! This incident has once again highlighted the weaknesses of the railway system, and the claims of passenger safety have been questioned.
Background to the accident: Terrible collision and uncertainty
Preliminary information has come to light that a goods train collided with a passenger train near Bilaspur railway station on Tuesday afternoon. In this accident, some of the coaches of the train quickly shifted to the side, which created fear and confusion among the passengers. Although the local administration and railway staff have started immediate relief work, the exact number of injured and the possibility of death is not yet clear. Since there are four railway lines at the accident site, several trains were affected at the same time, causing great inconvenience to the passengers.
The accident affected the travel plans of lakhs of passengers from neighbouring states including Chhattisgarh. Relatives in Nagpur, Raipur and other cities expressed grief on hearing the news of the accident. "I got information that my brother was going to Korba from Nagpur. After hearing the news of the accident, he lost his life. If you call the helpline, you are told that the TB campaign is going on. What is this system?" said a relative from Nagpur angrily. Such emotional reactions are being heard from across the state, which has increased the pressure on the railway administration to fulfill its responsibility.
'Helpless' state of helpline: Shocking incident of TB awareness
In times of railway accidents or other crises, the helpline is the only support for the relatives of the passengers. However, this time, when we contacted the helpline numbers (9752485499 and 8602007202) issued by the South East Central Railway (Bilaspur Division), instead of getting any information about the accident, we heard that the railway's 100-day 'TB Mukt Bharat' campaign was going on. This campaign is about two minutes long, and it mentions the helpline for information and awareness about the symptoms of TB. However, for the relatives of the accident victims, this was nothing but a kind of 'welcome song'! Lokmat's representative tried to contact this helpline several times. However, no concrete information was received till 9 pm. When asked, "We want information about the accident, when will the list of injured come?", the employees advised us to 'wait and watch'. This has created a wave of anger among the relatives. "The railways advertises on small and big things, but why is it indifferent to the issue of life and death?" Questions are being raised. Public Relations Officer Dr. Attempts to contact Sushkar Vipul also proved futile as he did not bother to pick up the phone.
Administration's response: Late awakening of responsibility
The railway administration took some steps within hours of the accident. Lokmat contacted Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Deepak Kumar Gupta late at night. He said the exact number of deaths or injuries due to the accident was not yet known. "Since there are four lines at the accident site, there has been no major impact on train operations. However, relief work is underway with the local administration," he said. After apprised of the distress of the relatives, they issued a bulletin through the local public relations officer. The bulletin gave a list of trains affected by the accident.
Affected trains and passengers' distress: Major disruption on Nagpur route
The accident has particularly affected trains on the Nagpur and Chhattisgarh routes. Train No. 18517 (Korba - Visakhapatnam Express) of South East Central Railway, which will depart from Korba at 4.10 am, will be delayed by 5 hours. Similarly, train number 18239 (Gevra Road - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Express) departing from Korba at 6.13 pm for Nagpur will run late by 3 hours 30 minutes. Train number 18114 departing from Bilaspur to Tatanagar at 6.50 pm will also be delayed by 3 hours.
Many passengers were confused at Nagpur railway station. "We were going to Chhattisgarh, what should we do now? Do we have to look at the option of a bus or a flight?" said a passenger. The railways has not yet given clear instructions about alternative routes and cancelled trains, which is increasing the inconvenience to passengers.
Mistakes of the railway system: Frequently asked questions
Although the Indian Railways is the largest transport system in the country, the response after an accident is always a topic of discussion. There have been many accidents in the last few years, and the issue of inadequacy of helplines and lack of information has come up every time. Railway officials are used to 'give up small tasks', but in times of crisis, there is a lack of public relations. This incident has once again highlighted the need for the Railway Ministry to improve the helpline system. A separate, 24-hour helpline for relatives should be provided.
Nagpur | Updated at 10:30 am on November 5, 2025
The entire country was shaken by the train accident that took place near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday afternoon. While initial reports indicate that many passengers were injured in this horrific incident, the railway administration's role in completely ignoring the concerns and outcry of the relatives has created anger in the minds of the people. Relatives rushed to the helpline number to know about the accident, but the response received there is a wake-up call for the Railways' 100-day 'TB-free' awareness campaign! This incident has once again highlighted the weaknesses of the railway system, and the claims of passenger safety have been questioned.
Background to the accident: Terrible collision and uncertainty
Preliminary information has come to light that a goods train collided with a passenger train near Bilaspur railway station on Tuesday afternoon. In this accident, some of the coaches of the train quickly shifted to the side, which created fear and confusion among the passengers. Although the local administration and railway staff have started immediate relief work, the exact number of injured and the possibility of death is not yet clear. Since there are four railway lines at the accident site, several trains were affected at the same time, causing great inconvenience to the passengers.
The accident affected the travel plans of lakhs of passengers from neighbouring states including Chhattisgarh. Relatives in Nagpur, Raipur and other cities expressed grief on hearing the news of the accident. "I got information that my brother was going to Korba from Nagpur. After hearing the news of the accident, he lost his life. If you call the helpline, you are told that the TB campaign is going on. What is this system?" said a relative from Nagpur angrily. Such emotional reactions are being heard from across the state, which has increased the pressure on the railway administration to fulfill its responsibility.
'Helpless' state of helpline: Shocking incident of TB awareness
In times of railway accidents or other crises, the helpline is the only support for the relatives of the passengers. However, this time, when we contacted the helpline numbers (9752485499 and 8602007202) issued by the South East Central Railway (Bilaspur Division), instead of getting any information about the accident, we heard that the railway's 100-day 'TB Mukt Bharat' campaign was going on. This campaign is about two minutes long, and it mentions the helpline for information and awareness about the symptoms of TB. However, for the relatives of the accident victims, this was nothing but a kind of 'welcome song'! Lokmat's representative tried to contact this helpline several times. However, no concrete information was received till 9 pm. When asked, "We want information about the accident, when will the list of injured come?", the employees advised us to 'wait and watch'. This has created a wave of anger among the relatives. "The railways advertises on small and big things, but why is it indifferent to the issue of life and death?" Questions are being raised. Public Relations Officer Dr. Attempts to contact Sushkar Vipul also proved futile as he did not bother to pick up the phone.
Administration's response: Late awakening of responsibility
The railway administration took some steps within hours of the accident. Lokmat contacted Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Deepak Kumar Gupta late at night. He said the exact number of deaths or injuries due to the accident was not yet known. "Since there are four lines at the accident site, there has been no major impact on train operations. However, relief work is underway with the local administration," he said. After apprised of the distress of the relatives, they issued a bulletin through the local public relations officer. The bulletin gave a list of trains affected by the accident.
Affected trains and passengers' distress: Major disruption on Nagpur route
The accident has particularly affected trains on the Nagpur and Chhattisgarh routes. Train No. 18517 (Korba - Visakhapatnam Express) of South East Central Railway, which will depart from Korba at 4.10 am, will be delayed by 5 hours. Similarly, train number 18239 (Gevra Road - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Express) departing from Korba at 6.13 pm for Nagpur will run late by 3 hours 30 minutes. Train number 18114 departing from Bilaspur to Tatanagar at 6.50 pm will also be delayed by 3 hours.
Many passengers were confused at Nagpur railway station. "We were going to Chhattisgarh, what should we do now? Do we have to look at the option of a bus or a flight?" said a passenger. The railways has not yet given clear instructions about alternative routes and cancelled trains, which is increasing the inconvenience to passengers.
Mistakes of the railway system: Frequently asked questions
Although the Indian Railways is the largest transport system in the country, the response after an accident is always a topic of discussion. There have been many accidents in the last few years, and the issue of inadequacy of helplines and lack of information has come up every time. Railway officials are used to 'give up small tasks', but in times of crisis, there is a lack of public relations. This incident has once again highlighted the need for the Railway Ministry to improve the helpline system. A separate, 24-hour helpline for relatives should be provided.
The entire country was shaken by the train accident that took place near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday afternoon. While initial reports indicate that many passengers were injured in this horrific incident, the railway administration's role in completely ignoring the concerns and outcry of the relatives has created anger in the minds of the people. Relatives rushed to the helpline number to know about the accident, but the response received there is a wake-up call for the Railways' 100-day 'TB-free' awareness campaign! This incident has once again highlighted the weaknesses of the railway system, and the claims of passenger safety have been questioned.
Background to the accident: Terrible collision and uncertainty
Preliminary information has come to light that a goods train collided with a passenger train near Bilaspur railway station on Tuesday afternoon. In this accident, some of the coaches of the train quickly shifted to the side, which created fear and confusion among the passengers. Although the local administration and railway staff have started immediate relief work, the exact number of injured and the possibility of death is not yet clear. Since there are four railway lines at the accident site, several trains were affected at the same time, causing great inconvenience to the passengers.
The accident affected the travel plans of lakhs of passengers from neighbouring states including Chhattisgarh. Relatives in Nagpur, Raipur and other cities expressed grief on hearing the news of the accident. "I got information that my brother was going to Korba from Nagpur. After hearing the news of the accident, he lost his life. If you call the helpline, you are told that the TB campaign is going on. What is this system?" said a relative from Nagpur angrily. Such emotional reactions are being heard from across the state, which has increased the pressure on the railway administration to fulfill its responsibility.
'Helpless' state of helpline: Shocking incident of TB awareness
In times of railway accidents or other crises, the helpline is the only support for the relatives of the passengers. However, this time, when we contacted the helpline numbers (9752485499 and 8602007202) issued by the South East Central Railway (Bilaspur Division), instead of getting any information about the accident, we heard that the railway's 100-day 'TB Mukt Bharat' campaign was going on. This campaign is about two minutes long, and it mentions the helpline for information and awareness about the symptoms of TB. However, for the relatives of the accident victims, this was nothing but a kind of 'welcome song'! Lokmat's representative tried to contact this helpline several times. However, no concrete information was received till 9 pm. When asked, "We want information about the accident, when will the list of injured come?", the employees advised us to 'wait and watch'. This has created a wave of anger among the relatives. "The railways advertises on small and big things, but why is it indifferent to the issue of life and death?" Questions are being raised. Public Relations Officer Dr. Attempts to contact Sushkar Vipul also proved futile as he did not bother to pick up the phone.
Administration's response: Late awakening of responsibility
The railway administration took some steps within hours of the accident. Lokmat contacted Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) Deepak Kumar Gupta late at night. He said the exact number of deaths or injuries due to the accident was not yet known. "Since there are four lines at the accident site, there has been no major impact on train operations. However, relief work is underway with the local administration," he said. After apprised of the distress of the relatives, they issued a bulletin through the local public relations officer. The bulletin gave a list of trains affected by the accident.
Affected trains and passengers' distress: Major disruption on Nagpur route
The accident has particularly affected trains on the Nagpur and Chhattisgarh routes. Train No. 18517 (Korba - Visakhapatnam Express) of South East Central Railway, which will depart from Korba at 4.10 am, will be delayed by 5 hours. Similarly, train number 18239 (Gevra Road - Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Express) departing from Korba at 6.13 pm for Nagpur will run late by 3 hours 30 minutes. Train number 18114 departing from Bilaspur to Tatanagar at 6.50 pm will also be delayed by 3 hours.
Many passengers were confused at Nagpur railway station. "We were going to Chhattisgarh, what should we do now? Do we have to look at the option of a bus or a flight?" said a passenger. The railways has not yet given clear instructions about alternative routes and cancelled trains, which is increasing the inconvenience to passengers.
Mistakes of the railway system: Frequently asked questions
Although the Indian Railways is the largest transport system in the country, the response after an accident is always a topic of discussion. There have been many accidents in the last few years, and the issue of inadequacy of helplines and lack of information has come up every time. Railway officials are used to 'give up small tasks', but in times of crisis, there is a lack of public relations. This incident has once again highlighted the need for the Railway Ministry to improve the helpline system. A separate, 24-hour helpline for relatives should be provided.
