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Local train services on the Central Railway's main line were disrupted on Tuesday morning due to a technical snag in the signalling system near Mumbai, officials said. Suburban trains, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, were running late by at least 15-20 minutes due to the problem that occurred on the south-bound slow track between Diva and Mumbra railway stations in neighbouring Thane district at 4.55 am, they said. Central Railway's (CR) Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said the signal was set right at around 6 am, more than one hour after the snag developed. Owing to the disruption, crowds swelled on the CR's suburban trains and stations on the main line. As a result, passengers faced hardships, a commuter activist said. The main line of the CR stretches from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai to Kasara in Thane, and to Khopoli and Karjat in Raigad district. The Central Railway daily operates nearly 1,800 local services on its suburban railway
The local services in the Western Railway's fast corridor in Mumbai were delayed for a brief period on Friday morning due to the failure of a track-changing point, an official said. There was a "point failure" (track-changing point) at Goregaon on Up and Down fast lines at 6.20 am. The problem was resolved at around 7.23 am, a spokesperson of the Western Railway said. The trains running on the fast corridor were delayed during the morning rush hour because of the technical snag, he said. "Due to this technical problem, all up and down fast suburban locals are running late by 15 to 20 minutes. Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted," the Western Railway's divisional railway manager of Mumbai division tweeted. The suburban local trains, which are termed as Mumbai's lifeline, ferry around 35 lakh commuters every day.
As the Maharashtra government has decided to resume train services for all passengers, the Western Railways is gearing up to start local services in Mumbai from February 1 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Speaking to ANI, Western Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Sumit Thakur said: "We have formed teams and sanitisation of cabins and seating areas is being done. We will be increasing entry and exit points, ticket booking counters with time. Our staff including Railway Police Force officials will be available to regulate the crowd."He appealed to all the Mumbai local train passengers to adhere to COVID-19 norms and protocols in order to combat the virus and ensure smooth operations of trains.The operations of Mumbai local train services were shut for normal passengers for almost ten months since the beginning of the lockdown.