Western Railway commuters left stranded as poor communication worsens disruption

Indicators display “00:00” at Dadar station, adding to commuter confusion. Pics/By Special arrangement

Commuters on the Western Railway (WR) were left in the dark during Friday morning's major disruption as poor communication compounded the chaos triggered by twin technical snags. Passengers struggled to understand what was happening as Churchgate (CCG)-bound trains were turned back at Dadar.

Poor communication

The lack of timely communication left commuters confused. There were few or no announcements explaining the cause of the disruption, while WR's otherwise active social media handles remained silent for over an hour. As a result, passengers turned to social media and fellow commuters for updates.

Chaos unfolds at Dadar station as WR services are disrupted

Dual snags

The WR suburban network witnessed major disruption after an overhead equipment (OHE) problem between Dadar and Churchgate was reported from around 6.00 am to 7.22 am, followed by a point failure at Churchgate around 8.00 am, leading to cascading delays and the collapse of the peak-hour timetable.

Passenger anger

Many passengers complained that there were no prompt updates on social media despite prolonged delays. "If the railways knew the timings and nature of the disruption, why were there no updates on official social media handles? Why was there no information available to passengers?" one commuter questioned.

Others criticised the absence of onboard announcements. "There were no announcements inside the train by the driver or guard. They got off the train, which meant they were aware of the situation. They should have informed passengers before leaving instead of forcing the public to figure out what was happening on their own," another commuter said.

PeopleSpeak

Khurshed Lawyer, commuter
‘Even though it was a bank holiday, Dadar was in complete chaos. Indicators kept changing, train destinations were altered at the last minute, and there were virtually no announcements. Passengers were left guessing which train to board. When the driver walked off one train without any explanation, commuters started shouting for everyone to get off. The lack of communication only worsened the confusion and overcrowding.'

Himanshu Mukherjee, commuter
‘I hopped onto the 8.06 Churchgate slow train from Borivli, which got held up at Jogeshwari for about 20 mins. It was after 20 mins when internal announcements were made that there was another snag at CCG. All of this has caused deadly crowds on both Slow and fast lines, which are not well handled. If properly communicated, we would have opted for alternate travel plans or at least leave early to avoid all the chaos.'

Gandharva Purohit, commuter
‘Dadar is a crucial junction in my daily commute. Once I leave Ghatkopar, there's no going back to the Metro. I reached the Western Line with no clue what was happening as the indicators showed "00:00", adding to the confusion. WR later announced the reason for regulating trains at Dadar. With no certainty about the next train, I somehow boarded a down slow from Platform 1 at 8.55 am amid the rush. There was no time to take the Metro, as Dadar Metro station is a 10-15 minute walk away. During peak hours, even a 20-minute delay can mean a late mark at work, so every minute counts.'

Rail fracture on CR

A rail fracture on the Up Through line near Kalyan was detected around 8 am on Friday, prompting Central Railway to impose a 10 kmph speed restriction. After preliminary safety measures and assessment, the speed restriction was relaxed to 30 kmph at 8.27 am.

WR response

A WR spokesperson said announcements were being made at stations and that the railway would make every effort to further improve communication.