31 October,2026 12:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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Local train services on Central Railway's Harbour line were disrupted during the morning rush hour on Saturday after a piece of cloth became entangled in the overhead equipment (OHE) at Sewri station, officials said.
The incident occurred on platform number two of Sewri railway station at around 9.45 am, bringing CSMT-bound local train services to a halt, Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said.
Nila said train services from Wadala had to be halted while the power supply to the overhead equipment was switched off to allow railway staff to remove the hanging cloth.
Services were restored at 10.13 am, around 28 minutes after the incident was reported.
The disruption affected Harbour line trains heading towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), with services temporarily suspended while the obstruction was cleared.
According to commuters, trains on the Harbour line were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes during the morning peak hour.
The Harbour line connects south Mumbai with areas in the eastern and western suburbs and Navi Mumbai, serving a large number of daily commuters.
In a separate incident, a signal failure at Kanjurmarg station on the Central Railway's Mumbai Division disrupted suburban train operations on Monday, affecting services at Kanjurmarg and on the section between Vikhroli and Bhandup.
According to Central Railway, the failure occurred at around 9.30 am, causing signals at Kanjurmarg and on the affected section to go blank. Railway authorities immediately introduced alternative operating arrangements to ensure the safe movement of trains.
Following the disruption, trains were operated under A-board authority at Kanjurmarg and on the Vikhroli-Bhandup section. Absolute Block Working was introduced on the DOWN Local and DOWN Through lines between Vikhroli and Bhandup, and on the UP Local and UP Through lines between Bhandup and Vikhroli.
Trains were also operated under TD 912 authority in accordance with prescribed safety procedures.
Central Railway said the first trains to operate under these arrangements included Train No. K39 on the Down Slow Line and Train No. BL11 on the DOWN Fast Line from Vikhroli.
Railway officials undertook repair work immediately after the failure, with signalling restored in phases across the affected lines.
The DOWN Fast Line was restored at 4.10 pm, followed by the UP Fast Line at 4.46 pm. The DOWN Slow Line was restored at 5.30 pm, while the Up Slow Line became operational at 6.18 pm.
With the restoration of the Up Slow Line, all four affected suburban lines had been restored by Monday evening.
