Century-Old Historic Clock Tower Collapses At Kozhikode Railway Station; None Injured | VIDEO

Kozhikode: A major tragedy was narrowly averted on Thursday morning, July 9, 2026, when the century-old, iconic heritage clock tower at the Kozhikode (Calicut) Railway Station unexpectedly split in half and collapsed onto the platforms.

The incident, which occurred at approximately 11:42 AM, triggered an immediate suspension of train services through the vital Malabar-region transit hub and set off a large-scale emergency response. Fortunately, no passenger or railway staff casualties have been reported.

Miraculous Escape for Commuters

The historic clock tower was located adjacent to the Station Master’s office. When it gave way, massive chunks of concrete and historic brickwork crashed across Platform 2, with large amounts of heavy debris tumbling directly onto the Track 3 line.

A Kozhikode-Kannur passenger train was stationary on the third track during the collapse, but the falling structure miraculously landed right alongside its flank, leaving the train car bodies largely unscathed.

Because the platform was temporarily clear of waiting passengers and commuters had not yet gathered for the train's scheduled departure, there were no injuries.

A few nearby railway workers managed to detect the structural shift and ran to safety seconds before the impact.

Overarching Impact and Redevelopment Project

The sheer force of the collapse caused immediate damage to surrounding railway infrastructure, affecting regional transit lines.

The falling heritage structure brought down active overhead traction lines, forcing Southern Railway authorities to instantly cut off the electricity supply across Platforms 1, 2, and 3.

Several major trains running through the section, including the Netravati Express and the Eranad Express, had to be regulated and halted at nearby stations such as Vellayil and West Hill while emergency teams cleared the path.

The historic junction is currently undergoing a massive, Rs 450-crore mega-redevelopment project under the central government's Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, designed to upgrade the hub to international standards.

Piling work and targeted demolition of select old extensions were actively underway nearby when the heritage building gave way.

Preliminary investigation suggests that incessant heavy monsoon rains lashing the Kozhikode district over the past few days severely weakened the integrity of the century-old brick masonry.

Officials have cordoned off the affected zone as railway authorities launch an investigation into whether safety protocols and buffer zones were maintained by the private contracting firm during the structural work.

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