Glitch in signalling system hits Mumbai local train services on Main line

Mumbai: A glitch in the signalling system near Vikhroli station affected the suburban train services on the Main line of the Mumbai suburban network on Thursday morning, causing overcrowding at several stations and hardships to commuters during the rush hours.

Railway officials said the technical fault occurred in the signalling system on the UP (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-bound) fast line around 7 am, due to which some local trains were held up for about an hour.

"Due to some technical faults at UP through line near Vikhroli station local trains are held up hence some locals are running behind schedule time," Rajneesh Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway's Mumbai division wrote of X.

Later on, he added that the technical glitch was rectified at 8.05 am.

Commuters said the suburban services were delayed by 20 to 30 minutes and led to overcrowding on trains and stations during the rush hours.

As the CSMT-bound fast trains were held up one after the other for a long time, several commuters were seen jumping on the tracks and walking to the next station to reach the office using an alternative mode of transport.

The disruption of suburban services left commuters fuming.

"Central Railway trains are always punctual - if you consider being at least 20 minutes late every day as on time. And don't expect any announcements about platform changes or cancellations; they like to keep things exciting!" Mandar Abhyankar, a commuter, wrote on Facebook.

The Central Railway operates over 1,800 suburban services on its suburban network spread across Raigad and Thane districts outside Mumbai every day. More than 30 lakh commuters travel on its suburban network.