Rail fracture delays central line train services in Mumbai

Rail traffic returned to normal after 20 minutes, officials said, but passengers said trains continued to run late and were overcrowded

Local train services on the Central Railway were disrupted on Saturday morning after cracks developed on the south-bound fast train track between Dadar and Matunga railway stations.

HT File

Sources said the track developed a thin-line fracture around 9.50am, possibly because of the change in weather. Several trains were held up because of it, and services were delayed by more than 15 minutes. As trains stopped mid-station, passengers jumped out and started walking on the tracks to get to the nearest station.

The CR diverted several trains from the fast line to the slow-line track. Sunil Udasi, chief spokesperson of CR, said that services were held up between 9.56am and 10.12am. “Three local trains were delayed because of this,” he said.

“Such rail fractures happen when there are wide fluctuations in day and night temperatures. Such things are detected digitally as well as manually by our patrolling personnel,” Udasi added.

Rail traffic returned to normal after around 20 minutes, officials claimed. However, passengers complained that trains continued to run late and were overcrowded.