Mumbai: Rescue workers underway after a foot-overbridge collapsed on the railway tracks following heavy rains, at Andheri Station in Mumbai, in Mumbai on Tuesday, July 03, 2018. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande) Mumbai: Heavy rains lashed Mumbai on Tuesday, disrupting local trains on Western, Central and Harbour lines. Trains were running late by 45-50 minutes and many services were cancelled or diverted. Local trains operated between Goregaon-Virar and Bandra-Churchgate, besides the Harbour Line from Bandra-CSMT. Several long-distance trains were cancelled or rescheduled or terminated at various locations.
Trains on CR’s Main line were delayed by 30-35 minutes, Harbour line trains by 20-25 minutes and WR by 45-50 minutes. There was flooding on the tracks at Kurla, Sion, Wadala, and Sandhurst Road, further holding up services. According to WR spokesperson C N K David, a portion of the overbridge at Andheri crashed at 7.37am at the southern-end of Andheri Platforms 7 and 8, damaging the tracks, a portion of the station roof, overhead high-tension wires, electrical equipment and signalling systems, he said. With several lakhs of commuters stranded, the BEST deployed 40 additional bus services between Goregaon and Bandra to clear the sudden rush.
Meanwhile, WR has said it has successfully restored services on the Harbour corridor to minimise the inconvenience caused to passengers, while repair work is underway on the other affected lines. CR is helping WR by providing manpower and equipment. According to a senior CR official, “A special train from CSMT to Vasai (which falls on the WR section) and another from Vasai to CSMT were pressed into service to clear extra rush of passengers.” Chief PRO of the CR Sunil Udasi said, “The Central Railway operated 12 additional and special local services between 5 pm and 7 pm from CSMT to Goregaon (a western suburb) for the benefit of passengers.”
Down fast line between Andheri-Vileparle restored and cleared around 9 pm. “Now both up and down fast lines in WR have been opened for traffic in restricted speed,” tweeted WR.