Commuters faced major inconvenience on Tuesday morning as Mumbai local train services on the Central Railway’s (CR) main line were disrupted due to a technical snag in the signalling system near the city.
According to Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railway, the issue developed early in the morning and was resolved by around 6 am, over an hour after the snag occurred.
The disruption led to swelling crowds at suburban stations and inside trains, affecting lakhs of daily commuters. The CR’s main line extends from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai to Kasara in Thane, as well as Khopoli and Karjat in Raigad district. The network operates nearly 1,800 local services daily, catering to over 35 lakh passengers across its main, harbour, trans-harbour, and Belapur-Uran corridors.
Meanwhile, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a recent announcement, stated that efforts are underway to reduce the interval between Mumbai suburban local trains from 180 seconds (3 minutes) to 120 seconds (2 minutes). He also mentioned that plans are in place to enhance ventilation and air conditioning in local trains using technology similar to the Vande Bharat rakes.
