Mumbai: Monsoon preparedness questioned after track cave-in disrupts Central Railway services

Commuters walk along the tracks over the portion that caved in. PICS/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

What monsoon preparations? Commuters questioned, claiming that a hole was left in the track on Day 1 of heavy rain as water washed away the track surface on the Trans-Harbour Line of Central Railway (CR) despite rail authorities saying adequate preparations had been made.

CR officials, however, disputed the claim, saying that third-party construction at the site led to the cave-in. The issue led to the cancellation of 24 services.

Wash out and cave-in

The cave-in resulted in disruption of morning services for over two hours

Central Railway officials said there was some third-party construction work being carried out for a pillar close to the working lines, which led to the problem. Officials said the incident took place between Koparkhairne and Turbhe stations of the Trans-Harbour Line at 5.06 am and that the issue was fixed and track safe given at 7.35 am. The site has been secured, and trains have been allowed to pass at restricted speed.

‘Tall claims fell flat'

Commuters said tall claims made by the railways fell flat as morning services were disrupted near Koparkhairane, with commuters forced to walk the tracks. The commuters had to fall back on the Thane-Belapur Road for alternative travel by buses and auto-rickshaws.

Commuter Speak

Reji Mathew
The very first day of the monsoon, the tracks gave way. We were forced to get down and look for buses and auto-rickshaws, making us late for work. With trains affected, the Thane-Belapur Road was packed. Finding transport was difficult, and the entire commute became stressful.

Prakash Mirlekar
We don't mind weather-related delays, but infrastructure should be resilient enough to handle predictable monsoon conditions in Mumbai. The railways are the lifeline of this region. Even a couple of hours of disruption has a ripple effect on lakhs of commuters and road traffic.

Aniket Gaware
There was very little information on when train services would resume. I had to spend extra money on an auto-rickshaw to reach my college on time. The cancellation of services created chaos during the morning peak. Thousands of commuters were left scrambling for alternatives.