RPF teams up with NDRF to rescue around 200 people

Around 200 passengers were rescued on Wednesday evening by the Railway Police Force and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) who were stranded between the Masjid Bunder and Byculla railway stations after the local trains were stopped due to waterlogging on railway tracks. “As heavy rains lashed Mumbai and tracks got flooded, another local train coming from the opposite direction also got stuck near the same spot and a team was sent to rescue the passengers,” said an NDRF official. The first local train left the CSMT station in south Mumbai but could not move beyond Masjid Bunder. While 150 passengers in this train were rescued, another 100 were still inside. “The other local which had come from Karjat got stuck 60 metres outside Masjid Bunder. Around 60 passengers were inside and a rescue team had been sent,” said railway officials. “Water had collected upto three feet on the tracks at this spot, forcing the motorman to stop the local,” he added. Meanwhile, in another incident local trains on Western line were affected after a tree branch fell at the overhead wire at Charni Road Station. “Due to heavy rains & strong winds there were few cases of trees/branches hanging over OHE/Tracks between Churchgate-Mumbai Central due to which traffic was suspended in this section. Work of clearing in progress at one location.Others cleared,” tweeted Western Railway.

Earlier in the afternoon services on central and western railway were affected badly due to which services were temporarily suspended, but later there was water logged on railway tracks leading to canceled the services. “Due to very heavy rain and tree branches approaching near track at Churchgate, Mumbai Central and in between Marine Lines and Charni Road, the special suburban trains are suspended temporarily between Mumbai Central and Churchgate. Trains are being reversed from Mumbai Central Dadar, Bandra and Andheri,” said Sumit Thakur, CPRO, WR. According to railway sources, suburban services were stopped due to water-logging on tracks at Palghar station. “There was minor disruption at Palghar from 5.40 am to 7.10 am due to 266 mm rain in two hours and hence, a few trains were regulated enroute,” he said.

The Central Railway had also suspended local train services on the Harbour railway line between the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Wadala railway stations. Train services were suspended due to waterlogging between Masjid Bunder and Sandhurst Road railway station. Mainline train services, however, are currently operational. Local train services have also been suspended on the Harbour railway line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Vashi railway stations and on the Central railway mainline between CSMT and Kurla railway stations. On the central line, there was water-logging on tracks in Sion and Kurla areas and trains were running with some delay. Both the Central Railway and Western Railway are operating nearly 350 special train services each daily for those working in essential and emergency services.