Mumbai: Harbour line services affected,commuters may face delay during peak hours

Commuters travelling in local trains on Mumbai’s harbour line are likely to face hardships during the Tuesday evening peak hour commute as the trains on the line are running at least 20 minutes late following an engine breakdown.

The engine broke down at Kurla railway station at 2.45 pm forcing stoppage of trains heading to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus(CSMT) and Panvel. The engine was rectified and removed at 3.15 pm.

“Engine of a goods train failed near Kurla railway station. Local train services heading towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus(CSMT) and Panvel both were impacted. Services have resumed now,” said a senior central railway official. Train services on the harbour railway are presently operating with delays up to twenty minutes and the delays are likely to continue in the evening peak hours.

Mumbai’s suburban railway are the city’s lifeline on which approximately 80 lakh people travel every day and are usually packed during peak hours forcing many people to travel oln footboards. It is the second largest suburban rail network in terms of route length after Kolkata.

Central Railway (CR) has decided to take steps to penalise those who put themselves at risk while travelling on the suburban rail network. In a move that the authorities hope will reduce the number of fatal accidents caused by falling off local trains, commuters travelling on the footboards of trains will be penalised. According to the railways, 711 people had died in 2018 after falling from Mumbai suburban trains.