Mumbai: Glitches hit CR services; mega block to add to hassles on Sunday

A glitch in the signal between Vidyavihar and Kurla stations, along with the breaking down of a goods train between Badlapur and Ambernath, hassled the Central Railway (CR) commuters on Friday.

A glitch in the signal between Vidyavihar and Kurla stations, along with the breaking down of a goods train between Badlapur and Ambernath, hassled the Central Railway (CR) commuters on Friday.

The signal problem led to cancellation of one suburban train and diversion of a Kasara-bound train from Vikhroli to Matunga, delaying the services by 10 minutes. “All trains were running behind schedule,” said Punit Desai, Vidyavihar resident.

Elaborating on the snag in the goods train, a railway officer said, “The train got stuck because of engine failure at 10.30am. The track was cleared around 1.20pm,” said a railway officer.

Nandkumar Deshmukh, president, suburban railway passengers’ association, said, “I was waiting for a train at Badlapur station from 10.45am. There were no announcements on the problem or by when it would be resolved.”

Commuters said they had to cancel their holiday plans, as they were depending on local trains for their journey. “I wanted to go to Thane. I waited at Badlapur station for more than an hour, after which I had to return,” said S Mistry, Badlapur resident.

There will also be a four-hour mega block on the Nerul-Panvel route, during which all services will be suspended. The Panvel-Andheri services, too, will be cancelled during the block period. While a few special trains will run on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus-Nerul-Thane sections, their timings are yet to be scheduled.