CR services fully resume after 15 hours
MUMBAI: Local train services on Central Railway (CR) completely resumed for passengers on Thursday after around 15 hours.
Public transport including local train services was disrupted owing to heavy rainfall on Wednesday in the city. Around 700 CR staff including railways engineers, pointsmen, train operating staff, Railway Protection Force (RPF), commercial staff and Government Railway Police (GRP) worked to resume local trains.
Union railway minister Piyush Goyal took a monsoon review meeting via video conference on Thursday evening.
Train services on the harbour line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Vashi railway stations were suspended initially at 10.20am on Wednesday, due to waterlogging at Chunabhatti railway stations.
Train services between CSMT and Vashi resumed only at 1.10am on Thursday.
“Even as heavy rains stopped in the evening on Wednesday, the water on the railway tracks was not receding. Despite using water pumps, many of which were not working properly, we had to wait for nearly five hours for the water levels to go down and trains could be operated safely,” said a senior CR official who did not want to be named.
Similarly, train services on CR mainline were also disrupted between CSMT and Thane on Wednesday due to waterlogging between Sion and Kurla.
“Services are running smoothly on all four suburban sections,” said a CR statement.
Passenger associations have, however, questioned the monsoon preparations carried out by the railways and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).