A major railway accident was avoided on Friday, January 23, 2026, on the Barauni-Katihar rail section near Lakho railway station. The 15713 Katihar-Patna Intercity Express was stopped urgently after sparks and smoke were observed coming from the wheels of coach number 11. The alert crew members and a gateman acted quickly to halt the train and prevent a potential mishap while it was heading towards Patna.
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What caused the smoke and sparks in the Intercity Express?
Technical experts at the site initially attributed the sparks to friction caused by extreme heat. However, the Station Manager of Bakhtiyarpur, Shailendra Kumar, later clarified that the issue was specifically due to break binding. This technical fault occurs when the braking system fails to release properly from the wheels, leading to intense heat and smoke as the train moves forward. The train driver and guard used fire extinguishers to control the smoke immediately after the train came to a halt.
Impact on train movement and passengers
- The incident happened around 10:25 AM while the train was running over an hour late from its scheduled time.
- Panicked passengers jumped out of the train and ran towards the tracks for safety after seeing smoke coming from the coach.
- Operations on both Up and Down lines were temporarily halted for about twenty minutes during the initial inspection.
- Several passengers opted to leave the train and travel by road to their destination due to the long delay and safety concerns.
- The train was later inspected again at Bakhtiyarpur station to ensure that no further technical issues remained before it continued its journey.