Waiting for the train on a railway platform under an umbrella in rainy weather can pose a risk of electric shock!
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On rainy days, when waiting on the train platform, if it’s stormy and raindrops fall onto the platform, using an umbrella to shield oneself from the rain seems like a completely normal thing to do. But maybe you don’t know that waiting for the train on a platform with an umbrella on a rainy day can pose a risk of electric shock! A few days ago, a Weibo post caught the attention of netizens. Weibo states: Along electrified railways, the power contact network is installed above the rails, with a voltage as high as 27,500 volts. When passengers carry tall objects such as umbrellas or sticks, and it is raining, water streams can form, increasing the risk of electric shock and injury! For many netizens, it’s the first time they’ve heard that using an umbrella on a platform might lead to electric shock. Is this true? This Weibo post was issued by the official Weibo account of Fenghua Station Police Station of Hangzhou Railway Public Security Bureau, titled “Safe Fenghua Railway”. Yesterday, a reporter from Qianjiang Daily got in touch with the police officer on duty at the police station. “A few days ago, Fenghua was plagued by continuous rain. Although there were canopies over the platforms, raindrops still fell on the passengers waiting there. Some passengers instinctively opened their umbrellas, while a few, perhaps in a hurry, stepped outside the safety yellow line with their umbrellas still in hand to watch for the train’s arrival. This was extremely dangerous. Our on-duty police officers and station staff noticed this and immediately intervened to stop them. ” The police officer said that the platforms at Fenghua Railway Station are covered with canopies, but there are no canopies over the tracks between the two platforms; waiting for the train under an umbrella on the platform in rainy weather could pose a risk of electric shock.
What is the principle behind getting an electric shock from using an umbrella on a train platform? The reporter learned that, in Zhejiang Province, most of the main (branch) railway lines, with the exception of lines such as the Xuanhang Line, the Jinhua-Wenzhou freight line, and the Jinhua-Qianjiang Line, are electrified railways. High-speed trains and electric locomotives draw power from the long high-voltage wires (technical term: contact network) located above the train, via pantographs on their roofs, to propel the train forward. The voltage is 27,500 volts. Yesterday, technicians from the Hangzhou Power Supply Section of the Shanghai Railway Bureau said that waiting for the train on the platform with an umbrella in rainy weather can indeed lead to electric shock. “Generally, the height between the catenary and the top surface of the rails ranges from 5.3 meters to 6.5 meters. New stations almost always feature high platforms with a height of 1.25 meters. According to regulations, except for professionals, other people (including the items they carry) must maintain a distance of at least 2 meters from the live parts of the traction power supply equipment. ” Technicians explain that on rainy or snowy days, due to high humidity, the insulating properties of the air deteriorate, and high-voltage electricity may break down some raindrops, thereby significantly expanding the range over which electricity can flow. When passengers use umbrellas on the platform or hold tall objects, it is easy for them to suffer electric shock as a result of induced electricity. “Generally, large stations such as Hangzhou East and Ningbo use column-free canopies, with the platforms and track surfaces essentially covered by these canopies, so there is no need to carry an umbrella while waiting for the train on rainy days. At some smaller high-speed railway stations, as well as conventional-speed stations located on existing lines such as Jiaxing Station, Haining Station, and Shaoxing Station, there are no canopies over the tracks. When waiting in rainy weather, for safety reasons, passengers must stay within the yellow (or white) safety lines and should not use umbrellas on the platform. ”
Waiting for the train on the platform with an umbrella on a rainy day can pose a risk of electric shock
This is the first time I’ve heard of it. If that’s the case, electric shock has nothing to do with whether one holds an umbrella or not; it’s possible to get an electric shock as electricity can flow to the ground.
I’ve had the experience of getting on a bus with an umbrella before; it was a bit scary after seeing that~~~~ In the future, when traveling in a windbreaker, I’ll just ignore light rain~~~