The Sealdah Division of Eastern Railway (ER) conducted a full-scale mock disaster drill at Kankinara station in North 24-Parganas district on Friday, 28 August 2026, in coordination with the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the West Bengal government. The exercise was designed to test emergency response readiness and sharpen inter-agency coordination in the event of a major train accident.

How the Drill Unfolded

A realistic accident scenario was simulated involving the 00351 Sealdah-Lalgola Passenger train after it arrived on Line 1 at Kankinara station. In the scripted sequence, the on-duty station master failed to secure the point ahead of the station, a second train approached, its driver passed a red signal, and the two trains came into conflict — resulting in a simulated collision. One coach derailed and another capsized, requiring a coordinated rescue of passengers trapped inside damaged coaches.

Crucially, only a handful of officials — including the station master, drivers, and senior officers in charge — were aware it was a drill. All rescue and medical teams were alerted as though responding to a real emergency, ensuring authentic reaction times and decision-making under pressure.

Rescue Operations and Equipment Deployed

Immediately after the simulated 'accident', multi-agency rescue teams mobilised. A total of 20 dummy passengers were evacuated and given medical attention. Those designated as critically injured were transferred to Naihati, Jagaddal State General Hospital, and B.N. Bose Hospital. The exercise recorded one simulated death, five serious injuries, and seven minor injuries.

'A major focus was on rescuing passengers trapped inside badly damaged coaches. Teams demonstrated how modern rescue equipment can be used to cut through coach structures and create access points for evacuation,' an official said. High-capacity cutters, separators, and plasma cutting tools were deployed to replicate real-world conditions as closely as possible.

Scale of Participation

The joint exercise drew personnel from across agencies. Around 35 NDRF personnel, the Divisional Disaster Rescue Team, 23 Civil Defence personnel, 8 fire brigade personnel, 7 doctors, 36 paramedical staff, 29 members of St John Ambulance Association, 31 Scouts and Guides, and 75 RPF personnel participated. Every phase of the operation was clocked, photographed, and videographed for post-exercise review.

Timeline and Senior Oversight

The joint exercise commenced at 5 pm and moved through stages of rescue, medical assistance, evacuation, and restoration. At 6:26 pm, the emergency was declared under control and the drill formally concluded. Rajeev Saxena, Divisional Railway Manager, Sealdah, and Sujit Kumar Sinha, Senior Divisional Safety Officer, monitored the exercise throughout.

Saxena underlined that such full-scale drills are essential for railway safety preparedness, ensuring that rescue, evacuation, medical assistance, and track restoration can be carried out in a coordinated and timely manner when a real emergency strikes. The findings will be used to identify gaps in the current response mechanism and strengthen coordination among the Railway, NDRF, and partner agencies.