Train services hit at Kalyan railway station as man climbs electricity pole

MUMBAI: Train services were disrupted 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 serious 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 OHE mast despite repeated appeals by officials and commuters. He then 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.

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.