T’puram: Train services on platform no.1 of Thiruvananthapuram central railway station was affected for a few hours from noon after a piling rig tilted dangerously towards the overhead power cable of the track.The tall pillar-like machine used to bore the earth to lay pile foundation of a new building was working at the north block redevelopment construction site when the accident happened around 1pm.It leaned dangerously close to the overhead powerline of the track from the work site and the line had to be switched off to stop it from leaning further and to remove it using cranes.“The trains were operated from other platforms. A large crane was brought, and the piling rig was steadied and removed by 3.30pm,” said a railway official.The railways ordered an investigation into the causes of the accident. Heavy machinery is being used for piling and other construction work near platforms because of lack of space at the railway station.He said that safety precautions are taken and barricading has been done around the work site to prevent the work or equipment from affecting the passengers.Piling rigs are more or less as tall as buildings depending on the depth in which pile foundation is bored and the machine is installed on a stable ground and is held together using supporting cables and cranes.Unstable ground, improper setting up, snag in rig chains and other technical faults can cause a piling rig to tilt or topple.Construction work is going on to build nine-storey building as part of the Rs 495 crore redevelopment work at the station.
