Diva Level Crossing Gate Openings Delay Central Railway Trains for Over 36 Minutes

Train operations on Central Railway were thrown off schedule on Tuesday after the level crossing gate LC-29 at Diva was repeatedly opened to clear vehicular traffic, leading to more than 36 minutes of cumulative detention for train services.

The level crossing gate was kept open for more than 12 minutes on three separate occasions during the day. The prolonged openings took place around 10.35am, 11.10am, and between 12.11pm and 12.21pm, as authorities allowed heavy road traffic to cross the tracks.

The repeated interruptions severely disrupted rail movements across multiple tracks in the section, affecting services on the Up, Down, fifth, and sixth lines. Several suburban locals and long-distance trains were detained, causing cascading delays to subsequent services running through the busy Diva corridor.

Railway officials stated that the extended gate openings were necessitated by the sheer volume of heavy road traffic waiting on both sides of the railway crossing. The situation highlighted the persistent operational challenges of managing road vehicles at level crossings located along critical and heavily congested railway lines.

According to officials, the Diva level crossing gate is among the most problematic locations across the entire suburban rail network. On typical days, trains are held up for 5 to 7 minutes beyond the standard three-minute halt allocated for gate operations, an issue that recurs several times each day.

In total, the Diva LC-29 gate is opened approximately 39 times every day to accommodate road traffic, resulting in train delays of 5 to 10 minutes each time it is operated.