MUMBAI: The Central Railway (CR) has identified 12 Over Head Equipment (OHE) structures across the Mumbai suburban network that require urgent attention. This comes after one of these poles tilted due to strong winds on May 13, causing significant service disruptions.
To address this issue, CR has decided to replace the two-track cantilever booms. These booms are supported at one end while the other end extends outward, allowing for overhanging loads without additional support.Such structures are crucial in holding the heavy overhead electric wires necessary for railway operations.
The incident on May 13, when wind speeds reached up to 96 km/h, caused one of these structures to tilt between Mulund and Thane, leading to a suspension of services for a couple of hours. An inquiry into the incident revealed that the tilting occurred due to rust and weld failure.
CR’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Swapnil Nila, commented, “All 12 structures provided during the year 2010-11 have been identified and physically checked for any development of cracks in the welding, and no defects were noticed. However, as a safety precaution, these structures are planned to be replaced within a month’s time to avoid similar failures during bad weather and gusty winds during the upcoming monsoon.”
He further emphasized, “This step is crucial for ensuring the safety of our passengers. CR is working to complete this task as early as possible, as the structural weakness was highlighted by the high-velocity winds experienced on that day.”
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To address this issue, CR has decided to replace the two-track cantilever booms. These booms are supported at one end while the other end extends outward, allowing for overhanging loads without additional support.Such structures are crucial in holding the heavy overhead electric wires necessary for railway operations.
The incident on May 13, when wind speeds reached up to 96 km/h, caused one of these structures to tilt between Mulund and Thane, leading to a suspension of services for a couple of hours. An inquiry into the incident revealed that the tilting occurred due to rust and weld failure.
CR’s Chief Public Relations Officer, Swapnil Nila, commented, “All 12 structures provided during the year 2010-11 have been identified and physically checked for any development of cracks in the welding, and no defects were noticed. However, as a safety precaution, these structures are planned to be replaced within a month’s time to avoid similar failures during bad weather and gusty winds during the upcoming monsoon.”
He further emphasized, “This step is crucial for ensuring the safety of our passengers. CR is working to complete this task as early as possible, as the structural weakness was highlighted by the high-velocity winds experienced on that day.”
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