7.5 ft boulder falls on track near Lonavala: CCTV captures fall, alert staff prevents mishap
The near 7.5 feet long and wide boulder was big enough to cause serious damage if a train were to hit it, CR CPRO Sunil Udasi said
A CCTV camera installed in the ghat section of the Mumbai-Pune route helped avert a major tragedy on Thursday after it captured a boulder falling on track, allowing authorities time to alert the loco-pilot and bring the oncoming train to a safe halt.
According to the railway officials, a huge boulder fell on the track near Lonavala around 8.15 pm yesterday, which held up the Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express for over two hours.
However, an accident was averted as CCTV monitoring staff noticed the boulder in time.
“The monitoring staff not only alerted higher authorities but also ensured that power supply to the overhead equipment was switched off and oncoming trains were stopped well in time,” said Sunil Udasi, Chief Spokesperson, Central Railway.
The Sahyadri Express was reversed to Thakurwadi station and then it resumed its journey towards Kolhapur about 10.30 pm, he said.
“Passengers were provided water at Thakurwadi and snacks when the train reached Lonavala around 11 pm,” the CPRO added.
The boulder, 2.3 meters long, 1.6 meters high and 2.2 meter wide, was big enough to cause serious damage if a train were to hit it, Udasi said, adding that the traffic on the route was restored in “shortest possible time”.
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