Central Railway refits ‘dangerous’ fans at Bhandup station

Acting on commuters’ complaints about the ceiling fans being dangerously low at Bhandup station, Central Railway got them all removed.

On November 23, DNA had reported how after raising the height of platform number 2 at Bhandup station, the ceiling fans had become a safety hazard as commuters could easily touch them .“The platform was very low and had to be raised to the standard height to bridge in the gap between the train and platform. The original fittings of the ceiling fans had been done keeping in mind the earlier infrastructure. Now, they will have to be refitted,” said a station official, requesting anonymity.

Early this week, officials of the electrical department refitted all the fans on platform number 2 at a higher level.

Rail commuters have been complaining about the widening gap between platforms and a train’s footboard saying they have to take a “bigger” step to board the new-age violet trains.

The reason, however, for the widening gap is that new-age suburban trains are a bit taller than the older ones, technically.The height and specifications of the old brown-yellow local trains and the new violet ones are the same, but commuters feel a difference in height because the new trains have advanced and safer air-springs, a railway official said.

The Central Railway has identified stations where there is the gap between the platforms and train’s footboard, including Dombivli, Bhandup and Ghatkopar, and started work on raising the height of platforms.