Train accident averted near Lonavala due to CCTV cameras in hilly section

Mumbai: CCTV cameras installed in the `ghat' (hilly) section of Mumbai-Pune route for monitoring during monsoon proved useful on Thursday night as a train was stopped well in time before it could hit a fallen boulder.

A huge boulder fell on the track near Lonavala around 8.15 pm Thursday, which held up the Mumbai-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express for over two hours. But an accident was averted as CCTV monitoring staff noticed the boulder in time, a railway official said Friday.

"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," Udasi added.

The boulder, 2.3 meters long, 1.6 meters high and 2.2 meters wide, was big enough to cause serious damage if a train were to hit it, he said. The traffic on the route was restored in "shortest possible time", Udasi added.