Mumbai Local train services on the Central Railway (CR)’s Main Line were disrupted on Monday morning after cracks developed on the tracks between Diva and Kopar stations. The incident was reported during morning peak hours, inconveniencing commuters as there were no announcements of trains being delayed and chaos ensued on the platforms.
“The suburban services on the slow line were hit due to a rail fracture between Diva and Kopar stations, as a result local train services were delayed by 20 minutes,” said a CR official. The rail fracture was reported around 8.20 am on the slow line towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).
“The issue was rectified by 8.37 am and rail traffic was returned to normalcy. Most trains were diverted to the fast line and several trains were cancelled or delayed,” said the official. Commuters were inconvenienced as it was the first working day of the week and they were late to work. “Seriously, we do not understand the working of the railways.
Every weekend, they conduct mega blocks to carry out maintenance work, yet twice or thrice a week, there is a problem owing to technical glitches. Railway authorities need to monitor the working of their employees and find out why there is always a technical issue,” said Muddusar Pinjari, a regular commuter.
“Every day I have to be at the construction site by 10 am, but trains on the Central line are invariably late. I end up reaching 20 minutes after my boss has reported to work,” said Nikhil Mishra, working at Irani Architect, Colaba. Another commuter, Asif Khan, a small business owner, added, “At this rate, I hardly get any time for myself and family. This is something companies or bosses do not realise.”