Technical Snags Disrupt Mumbai Local Trains with Point Failure at Dadar
Suburban train services across Western and Central Railways suffered severe disruptions on Monday morning following multiple technical snags, including a point failure at Dadar station. The series of failures during peak morning travel hours led to the cancellation of around 40 local train services, widespread delays, and extreme overcrowding on platforms and trains across the network.
On the Western Line, technical failures occurred at three separate locations throughout the morning. The disruptions began early at Vasai Road, where a track-changing point mechanism failed on the Diva-bound Up and Down fast lines around 4:46 am. Later in the morning, another point failure was reported at Dadar at approximately 10:10 am, directly impacting train movements through the busy junction. Minutes later, at 10:22 am, two additional points failed on the Up and Down Harbour Lines at Goregaon. Railway technical teams were dispatched to clear the faults, but the combined incidents delayed Up fast trains and slowed services across the network.
Disruptions also hit the Central Line around 11:53 am during the demolition of an old foot overbridge at Mulund station by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC). A piece of wire fell onto the overhead electrical equipment, triggering heavy sparking, a loud sound, and smoke that alarmed waiting passengers. As a safety precaution, train movement on the Down slow line towards Kalyan was halted while railway staff removed construction material and inspected the wiring. Services on the line were restored by 12:17 pm, with at least three local trains detained during the incident. MRVC officials stated they are investigating the matter, though they did not specify if action would be taken against the demolition contractor.
The disruptions forced thousands of morning commuters to endure delayed services, packed platforms, and overcrowded trains, with some desperate passengers seen walking along the railway tracks to reach nearby stations. Addressing the widespread delays, Nandkumar Deshmukh, president of the Federation of Suburban Rail Passengers Association, stated that those responsible for maintenance and implementation shortcomings must be held accountable, calling such repeated failures in a single day unacceptable.
