Local train services on Mumbai’s Main Line faced disruption on Wednesday (July 24) morning when a bamboo structure fell onto an overhead wire between Sion and Matunga stations, according to Central Railway officials. The Central Railway locals in Mumbai have been delayed by 15 minutes today.
The incident occurred around 7:25 am and resulted in the suspension of fast local train services along the UP fast (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-bound) line for nearly an hour. This delay caused inconvenience to commuters, including office-goers. Few trains were diverted on the slow line which resulted in a 15 mins delay in the time table of all the local trains.
Commuters walk on track
In response to the incident, some passengers chose to disembark from stationary local trains and walk along the tracks, despite the associated risks, noted a commuter and train activist.
Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, said, “A bamboo structure erected around a building adjacent to the railway line fell down on the UP fast (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-bound) line between Sion and Matunga stations at around 7.25 am.”
“Due to the incident, the fast local train services on the Main line were held up as they had to switch off the power supply to the overhead wire for removing the bamboo fallen on it. Services on this line were restored at 8.20 am,” he said.
Mumbai local train network serves 70 lakh commuters daily
Local trains are critical to Mumbai’s transport network, catering to over 70 lakh commuters daily across four corridors operated by Central Railway and Western Railway.
Central Railway alone manages 1,810 suburban services on the Main line, Harbour line, Trans-Harbour line, and Belapur-Uran line, serving approximately 35 lakh passengers each day.
IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai
The Mumbai civic authority urged residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary, following an orange alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall.
“The IMD has issued an orange alert (heavy to very heavy) for Mumbai today. People are requested to avoid going out unless necessary,” stated the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Similar alerts were issued for Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts in Maharashtra’s Konkan region. Heavy rainfall has led to waterlogging on several roads in Mumbai, causing traffic disruptions.