Day after 63-hour mega block, local train services hit on Central Railway

Mumbai: A day after a 63-hour mega block, Mumbaikars on Monday continued to bear the brunt of delayed local train services on the Central Railway, with the authorities attributing the disruptions to the new signalling system.

The Central Railway undertook a 36-hour mega block over the weekend along with a 63-hour block for widening platforms at Thane station between Friday and Sunday.

"A new signalling system has been installed at CSMT, featuring Electronic Interlocking (EI). The system is currently stabilising. Many problems can only be identified after the actual movement of trains. The technical teams are on the job and addressing these issues," Central Railway said in a post on 'X'.

The Central Railway claimed trains were running late by 25 to 30 minutes.

Commuters, however, said the services were affected between Dadar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), mainly due to bunching of trains and delays.

The commute from Thane to CSMT, usually under an hour, took more than two hours, they said.

"The travel time from Mulund to CSMT is just 40 minutes, but it took me around two and a half hours, and after crossing Dadar, the trains were moving at a snail's pace. The situation was frustrating because of the rush inside the train and the sweltering heat," a commuter said.

Taking to 'X', the Central Railway's divisional railway manager for Mumbai said the suburban services on their network were running 15 to 20 minutes late due to a 'technical issue' between Kopar and Diva stations in Thane district and at CSMT.

"Glitches do happen in a new system. The people are on the job. For a major yard like CSMT, the system placed is huge, and it takes time to stabilise and correct if there are any faults. These faults cannot be identified beforehand, as they happen when there is actual movement of trains," said Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of Central Railway.

Commuters on the Central railway have faced a lot of hardship due to two mega blocks — a 63 hour long mega block for widening platforms 5 and 6 at Thane station and a 36-hour block for expansion of platforms 10 and 11 at CSMT station.

More than 900 suburban services were cancelled during these blocks.

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