Rain fury hits Mumbai trains: 80 services cancelled, 150 delayed
Mumbai city news: Panic spread among commuters after a branch fell on a train’s overhead wire and caught fire between Mahalaxmi and Lower Parel on Wednesday.
More than 80 suburban services were cancelled and over 150 delayed because of technical snags and flooding caused by heavy rainfall on Wednesday.
Harbour line experienced the maximum number of cancellations while the Western Railway saw the least number of disruptions.
Services in were disrupted at Mahim on the Harbour line after the tracks were flooded.
Meanwhile, in separate incidents, trains were forced to halt at Elphinstone Road and between Mahalaxmi and Lower Parel stations when commuters noticed sparks after a few branches fell on the trains’ overhead wires.
Sources from the Railways said that the in the second incident the branch caught fire after falling on the wires. Soon, rumours of the fire spread panic among the commuters.
The incident also led to the delay in a few slow trains to Virar by an hour which led to over-crowding at stations and chaos.
Meanwhile, services were disrupted in Mankhurd when the soil gave away from under the tracks. A pointman, who takes care of train signals, noticed it and informed other officials following which all trains on the track were stopped to prevent accidents. This led to bunching of CST-bound trains between Mankhurd and Vashi, besides delaying Harbour Line services by at least 30 minutes.
A CR spokesperson confirmed that trains were held up for safety reasons. “Once the services resumed, we ordered that the trains’ speed be restricted to 20kmph,” the spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, sources in the WR said that there was a technical problem with the tracks as the signals had gone red. “Motormen were asked to operate trains cautiously,” said a rail official, though the WR spokesperson denied water logging and disruption.
Commuter activists slammed Railways for their poor monsoon preparation. “Lakhs of Mumbaiites were hassled because of the Railway’s poor monsoon preparation,” said Rajiv Singhal, a passenger activist.