India: DC-AC conversion of railways shocks birds, commuters

[John Ashworth]

DC to AC conversion of railways shocks birds, commuters

Published: Tuesday, Feb 7, 2012, 8:00 IST
By Rajendra Aklekar | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

The move to convert from direct to alternating current to ensure better services to railway commuters began on a disastrous note not only for the passengers but also for the birds. A day after Western Railway (WR) switched to the new system, two crows were electrocuted and services disrupted, affecting lakhs of commuters during peak hours.

A ‘fast-flying’ crow hit a high-tension overhead wire of the fast track at Marine Lines around 7.30am on Monday. The crow snapped a portion of the wire which led to a short circuit and brought trains to a halt for a couple of hours. At least 13 services were cancelled and people heading to their offices were left in the lurch. Sources said the crow was dangling from the electric pole.

In another incident, a crow led to a short circuit at platform No 5 at Dadar station around 4.15pm on Monday. The entire overhead equipment was damaged and it led to the closure of platform No 5.

Trains running between Dadar and Virar were diverted to other platforms. This was the second incident at the same spot after a loose wire fell on the overhead wire at 10pm on Sunday, causing sparks and panic.

Similar incidents took place near Vile Parle and Santa Cruz stations on Sunday when the conversion was being carried out. These are only some of the incidents that were reported. Officials said several birds must have been electrocuted.

Animal rights activists have raised concerns and urged WR to resolve the issue immediately.

“This is not a unique problem as electric railways are common. Crows, sparrows, pigeons and kites usually hover over urban areas and are always under threat because of overhead wires,” said K Sunish Subramanian, animal welfare officer and founder-member of Plant and Animal Welfare Society, Mumbai.

He said in case of bird collisions, most of them die due to fractured vertebrae, breakage of skull and wing cartilages besides electrocution. The period between February and May is the nesting period and birds nest under bridges and on overhead masts. “Railways have also put dangling bird scares made of wood on masts and removed hundreds of bird nests regularly to protect the insulators on the wires,” Subramanian said.

Railway officials called it a teething problem and said such incidents will reduce with time. “We have measures in place like applying non-toxic bird-repellent gel to the overhead wires to keep birds away from the wires. In the ghats, we face similar problems from monkeys,” a railway officer said.