Thane: A 35-year-old man sustained severe head and back injuries after he slipped and fell into a gap between two railway tracks while walking on the down slow line towards Kalwa over the Chendani Koliwada railway bridge near Thane railway station, Sunday morning, officials said.The injured victim, Prakash Kamble, was walking towards home in Kalwa on the down slow line when he heard the horn of an oncoming train on the same line and tried to move aside but lost his balance. Luckily, he fell on the network of iron girders supporting the tracks, narrowly avoiding a drop of over 20 feet onto the road below, said rescue officials.A distress call was received by authorities around 9.30 am, following which teams from Thane Railway Police, Thane Nagar Police, Jawahar Baug fire brigade, and the Regional Disaster Management Cell (RDMC) rushed to the spot. Kamble was extricated from the girders and shifted to the nearest hospital for treatment.Officials said an investigation was underway to determine why Kamble was walking on the tracks despite a skywalk nearby connecting Vitawa and Thane railway station. Activists, however, noted that many residents prefer walking along the tracks between Kalwa and Thane to save time, as the skywalk mainly benefits residents staying towards Digha. The alternative road route connecting Vitawa, Budhaji Nagar, and Thane is circuitous via Kalwa and Court Naka, often taking over 30 minutes to cover.
