More that 50 trains were cancelled and nearly 90 were delayed on the account of Derailment of a local train at Kalyan on Friday night. According to sources due to Derailment platform number two of Kalyan was not available till morning 7 am hence few trains were running late in the wee hours of Saturday.
According to spokesperson of CR, Local trains on both side ( Karjat and Kasara ) were affected as the derailment of the state coach had happened on point number 148 at Kasara end of Kalyan platform number 2 hence trains of both directions, Karjat and Kasara were affected. However Karjat direction movement was restore after about an hour and the mail Express trains which were obstructing the movement of relief trains were diverted via Karjat Lonavala Pune daund and back to Manmad.
Earlier, the last coach of a CSMT-bound local train derailed at Kalyan around 9 PM. Central Railway (CR) officials confirmed that re- railment operations were completed by 12:20 AM, allowing for an empty local train to clear the affected tracks shortly after, at 12:42 AM after that movement of Kasara direction was also restored.
"Despite the restoration of movement some trains faced delays during the early hours of Saturday due to the unavailability of platform number two and the need to prioritize the clearance of long-distance trains stranded because of the derailment" said.
'Culprit Point' will be removed on Sunday
On Friday night, derailment occurred at a critical junction of Kalyan yard known as a double slip switch (DSS), also known as 'Diamond Crossing' in railway lingo'. This type of railway crossing allows trains to switch tracks in any direction, enabling safe passage for trains approaching from both the northeast and southeast. However, the design of the DSS raises safety concerns, particularly regarding its sensitivity during operation.
According to CRs spokesperson, plans were already in place to remove this double slip switch during the shadow block of the Kasara section on Sunday, following safety assessments. Unfortunately, the derailment was happened Friday.
"Central Railway is committed to ensuring the safety of its operations, and this crossover ( culprit point, where derailment was happen ) will be removed during Sunday block" he said adding that to replace this demand cross over two separate cross over will be created"
Thousands of passengers were stranded
Local train derailment of Friday night caused massive disruptions on Central Railway's main line, leaving thousands of passengers stranded for hours in the train as well as stations. Several trains were halted along the route, creating major inconvenience for commuters. Pranali Lotlikar, a resident of Thane, was one of the many passengers affected. Traveling with her two young children, Pranali had boarded a Badlapur-bound train from Thane at 9:32 pm., expecting to reach her mother’s home in Ambernath. However, her train was stranded between Diva and Koper for over an hour, finally arriving at Kalyan only around 11:40 p.m.
“I was stuck with my two kids for more than two hours in the train, with no updates on when the train would move,” Pranali said, expressing frustration at the ordeal. Many other commuters faced similar issues, as multiple local trains were stranded along the route due to the derailment. Dnyanada Kadam posted her ordeal social media platforms 'X' ( formerly known as twitter. According to her post, she boarded a fast train from Dadar at 10.38 pm but reached Dombivli only after 12.30 am.
Rickshaw Drivers Overcharge Passengers Following Kalyan Derailment
Following the derailment at Kalyan on Friday night, rickshaw drivers took advantage of the situation by charging passengers three to four times the usual fare. From Kalyan to Ambernath and Titwala, rickshaw drivers were demanding Rs 150 per seat, while for Badlapur, the fare surged to Rs 200 per seat, causing inconvenience to stranded commuters.
And the reel rail mantri is busy being prabhari for Maharashtra elections for the Bjp.
Along with the Road Transport ministry, it’s probably the worst managed ministry in the country today" Aaditya Thackeray posted on X on 19 th October at 4.33 pm.
