RailEnquiry

When the Mumbai metro is finally put on track, keep an eye out for the overhead wires. On March 22, the overhead traction line will go ‘live’ and the trial runs of trains, being pumped on a 25,000V alternating current, will begin.And why should you be worried? Every metallic object, even a clothesline, less than 2m away can be pulled into the magnetic field generated by the current. Simply put, residents of areas through which the metro corridor runs are at risk.On Monday, officials from the Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL) said they issued an advisory warning the public in this regard.A senior official associated with the railway’s power conversion warns that when a stray object is drawn to wires carrying an alternating current, it doesn’t just lead to a short-circuit or snaps wires. “It can also lead to small bursts of explosion, which can create panic.”One doesn’t have to look to too far back to realise the gravity of the situation. Last February, lakhs of commuters on the Mumbai suburban railway network were left stranded when the Western Railway undertook the power conversion from direct current to alternating current. But that wasn’t the end of it.Birds were trapped in the overhead wires, many of which died. After the railways blew lakhs of rupees on bird repellent gels, branches of trees too close to the wires began falling in, some of which even sparked fires. The officials’ next move: chop off over 2,000 trees along the Churgate-Virar line.And if you think you’re safe, ask the kite fliers who suffered severe burn injuries when their glass-coated strings touched live wires.“The metro passes through many points where balconies are too close to the elevated corridor. They will have to be very careful once the lines go live. Stray objects falling on our lines have led to small blasts. The corridor is too close to homes, other structures, and crowded localities. Even a small mishap will have wider repercussions,” explains the railway official.Suhas Joshi, the city’s fire chief, says the fire brigade has no role to play on issues concerning the metro’s power lines.MMOPL officials say theu will take all possible preventive measures again fires and electric shocks.The first corridor of the Mumbai metro passes through the most crowded and busiest roads of Andheri and Ghatkopar.Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority officials say trains were tested for their electrics and were shunted inside the Versova yard in August 2012.