Mumbai: 12 CR train services cancelled due to fallen tree at Matunga

The big old tree in the middle of a platform at Matunga railway station which commuters relied on for shade while waiting for trains fell over yesterday, disrupting some 12 local services on the Central Railway.

Railway officials were taken aback when the tree toppled at platform number two of the station, falling onto an overhead cable which, fortunately, did not snap.

But the incident did throw the railway schedule out of gear for over an hour, with many services on the slow corridor diverted and 12 others cancelled.

Tangle: Several services were diverted or cancelled after the tree collapsed, landing on the overhead cable. (Below) Railway employees clear away the remains of the tree from Matunga station yesterday. Pics/ Sameer Markande and Satyajit Desai

" The tree had a very delicate root. We were shocked to see it fall. The incident took place in the afternoon around 2.30 pm," said a senior railway official present on the site at the time the tree fell.

A fire brigade team was rushed to the spot. Workers had to trim the tree's branches first, before chopping its trunk, uprooting it and taking it away.

Power to the train lines had to be switched off as a precautionary measure during the entire operation.

Following the incident, the railway authorities will be conducting a survey of all trees in and around platforms and railway tracks to prevent a recurrence of such an incident.

Central Railway spokesperson Chandrashekhar V confirmed the incident and said, " The issue was resolved at 3.43 pm and services were resumed after that."