Mumbai: Harbour line commuters in Mumbai have been enduring persistent challenges in their daily commute, as promised improvements by Central Railway (CR) have yet to materialize. During the morning rush hours on Friday too, suburban train services on the Harbour line were consistently delayed, with trains running behind schedule by 20 to 30 minutes. Adding to the frustration, 19 trains were cancelled, exacerbating the already strained commuting situation. Similarly during evening rush hour trains on harbour line were also running behind the schedule up to 20 minutes.
Despite assurances from railway authorities, commuters remain skeptical about the timely resolution of the ongoing disruptions. Smita Jain, a regular commuter from Vashi, expressed dismay over the absence of adequate announcements within the trains, leaving passengers uninformed about the delays and causing further inconvenience during their journeys. Similarly, Kedar Jadhav from Belapur suggested that issuing advisories to caution commuters about potential delays could have enabled them to adjust their travel plans accordingly.
The impact of the reduced speed limits was palpable, with Kharghar resident Mangesh Savant opting for alternative routes to reach his destination. "I took a mainline train from CSMT to Thane, from where I chose to travel via Trans-Harbour to Panvel," Savant stated, highlighting the need for commuters to seek alternative modes of transportation amidst the chaos.
Parul Jain, another commuter from Chembur, recounted her ordeal of being stuck for 15 minutes between Wadala and Sewri. Faced with mounting delays, she resorted to taking road transport to Dadar in order to reach CSMT, only to find that taxis were also in short supply, exacerbating the challenges faced by stranded passengers.
A senior railway official attributed the delays to a 10 kmph speed restriction imposed at the derailment point until 10 am on Friday. Although the restriction was later marginally relaxed, allowing trains to travel at 20 kmph, operational challenges persisted due to the sharp curve at the derailment point.
Despite efforts to gradually increase the permitted speed to 30 kmph, the officials emphasized that operational challenges persist, leaving commuters on the Harbour line to grapple with ongoing delays and disruptions, especially during evening rush hours.
"We are trying our best to resolve the issue," stated the railway official. "However, it is not practical to allow trains to negotiate the sharp curve at 30 kmph immediately. We initially permitted a speed of 10 kmph, which was later increased to 20 kmph. After a few hours, we aim to further raise the speed, restoring normalcy to train services" he said.
