Train services hit for 1.5 hrs as man climbs electricity pole at Kalyan station; injured after fall

Mumbai: Train services were disrupted for nearly 1.5 hours at Kalyan station in Maharashtra’s Thane district on Sunday after a man climbed an overhead equipment (OHE) mast and subsequently fell onto the track, sustaining injuries, an official said.

The drama unfolded around 2 pm when the man climbed the pole supplying electricity to platforms 1, 1A and 2, a Central Railway official said.

As a safety measure, electricity supply on the Down line between Thakurli and Ambivli was switched off, holding up two outstation trains and three suburban locals, said Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway.

The 35-year-old man, suspected to be of unsound mind, stayed put on the high-tension OHE mast despite repeated appeals by officials and commuters to come down. According to reports and eyewitness accounts, the man kept moving from one end to another.

The man later slipped and fell onto the track and suffered grievous injuries, said a Government Railway Police (GRP) official.

“The injured man was rushed to a government hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment,” said senior inspector Pandhari Kande of Kalyan GRP.

The OHE supply, which had been switched off as a precaution, was restored shortly thereafter, with officials stating it was recharged and normalisation efforts were underway. Services were hit for nearly one and a half hours, they said.

This is the second major disruption of the suburban services on the main line of the Central Railway during the day.

Outstation train services were disrupted in the morning hours after a crane’s zip wire got entangled with an overhead wire at Khadavali railway station in Thane district, officials said.

The disruption occurred in the Kasara-Kalyan section during a scheduled crane block from 2.45 am to 4 am for platform extension work.

The movement of trains between Kalyan and Kasara resumed after 6 am, they said.