Fog effect: CR cancels outstation trains to avoid disruptions on Mumbai’s central line

Central Railway has cancelled three mail express trains that leave from Mumbai between December 12 and 14

In a first, railway authorities have cancelled several outstation trains that depart from Mumbai so as to not disrupt the city’s suburban train services, as dense fog continues to affect visibility in and around the city.

Only outstation trains on short routes or with low demand have been cancelled, CR said. (HT File Photo)

The Central Railway (CR) has cancelled three mail express trains that leave from Mumbai — the CSMT-Manmad Rajya Rani Express, LTT-Madgaon AC double decker and Karjat-Panvel passenger train — from December 12 to 14. These trains have been cancelled to ensure “smooth train operation”, the CR press release states.

The decision came after agitated commuters on the CR’s suburban main line staged a rail roko at Vashind station following the disruption of local train services owing to fog on Saturday. Passengers were upset that the CR had prioritised outstation trains despite the delays and crowds on the main line. Railway officials had denied that long-distance trains had been prioritised.

While train cancellations are common in north India during winter because of dense fog and poor visibility, it is an unusual occurrence in Mumbai. “Normally, such dense fog is not common in this part of the country. It has been unprecedented this year, perhaps after the passing of Cyclone Ockhi,” said SK Jain, divisional railway manager, CR.

Only outstation trains on short routes or with low demand have been cancelled, Jain said.

The CR operates 1,600 suburban services in Mumbai every day, besides around 70 mail express trains and goods trains.