Services affected after train to Churchgate derails at Mahim

Suburban train commuters on the Western Railway (WR) got stuck on Sunday afternoon after the front coach of a Virar-Churchgate fast train derailed near Mahim station.

Suburban train commuters on the Western Railway (WR) got stuck on Sunday afternoon after the front coach of a Virar-Churchgate fast train derailed near Mahim station.

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Twenty trains were cancelled, causing more inconvenience to commuters as there was already a mega block between Mahim and Mumbai Central from 10.35 am to 3.35 pm on the WR fast lines to carry out maintenance work. During such blocks, 30 per cent of the services remain cancelled.

Railway officials said the train was changing tracks from fast to slow when it derailed on a crossover. Three wheels of a front coach of the train were derailed at 2.45 pm. “The crossover at Mahim is on a curve and trains have to go at less than 15 kmph while crossingt,” said a WR official.

“Restoration work was completed in an hour and trains ran late by about 10-15 minutes. There were no casualties,” WR officials said. The derailed coach was lifted back on track by 4.45 pm. By 6.15 pm, services on the fast line towards Churchgate and Borivli were restored. “We have initiated a departmental inquiry,” said WR chief PRO, S. Gupta. Services on the fast line towards Churchgate and Borivli and slow trains towards Churchgate were affected. Commuters walked the Tulsi Pipe Road seeking alternate modes of transport. Taxi drivers started overcharging for a two-km journey to Dadar.