Mumbai: A major accident was averted at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Friday morning, when a Belapur-CSMT bound local train rammed into the buffer at Platform 1. However, according to a railway official, services were resumed shortly afterwards. “The incident took place around 11.30am, but it is not a big incident. The buffers are put in place for exactly this reason,” he said.
The incident occurred during peak hours. According to sources, the train was approaching at the prescribed speed but it appeared that the brakes failed, causing the use of emergency brakes and resulting in the train coming in contact with the buffers. “Fortunately, a major accident was averted, as the train only slightly touched the buffer. We are investigating the matter,” said the official.
However, the alignment of the coach was affected by the impact of the collision. “The local slightly touched, and did not ram into the buffer. There was no repercussion on services and no damage was caused during the incident,” said Sunil Udasi, chief public relations officer, CR.
One of the onlookers said this reminded them of the incident on Western Railway in 2015 when a local train had crashed into the buffer at Churchgate station, injuring five passengers. “The train was at normal speed when it entered CSMT. But startlingly, it did not come to a halt and rammed into the buffer. Had it crashed into the dead end, commuters may have been hit, as many of them wait by the dead end,” said a commuter.
Peak hour services on Harbour line were disrupted, making this the third such incident in seven days. Another incident occurred near Belapur station, when a crack was spotted on the tracks between Belapur and Seawoods stations around 9.30am, which led to three local trains being delayed.
Despite the crack being repaired in a timely manner, services were delayed due to bunching. Just as they appeared to be coming back on track, the Down line services were affected after a local train bound for Panvel developed a snag around 11.30am near Kharghar.
Commuters on the train said, “The train halted at Kharghar station for quite some time. The pantographs were brought down, reset and it was only afterwards, around 12.30pm, that the train set off. It was 1.30pm by the time the situation was normal.”