In a morning of chaos for Mumbai commuters, local train services on Central Railway's Harbour Line were severely disrupted due to a fire near the tracks between Juinagar and Nerul stations in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. The incident resulted in significant delays and overcrowding, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers during the morning rush hours.
According to some commuters, the trains on the corridor were running late by 30 to 45 minutes, resulting in the crowds swelling on trains and at stations during the morning rush time. However, officials said trains were delayed up to 20 minutes.
The disruption caused a surge in crowds at major stations between Juinagar and Vadala sections during the morning rush hour. Passengers were inconvenienced by the delays and overcrowding, making their daily commute extremely challenging.
Short Circuit Causes Fire and Halts Train Service between Juinagar and Nerul Stations
The disruption occurred when a short circuit was reported in the overhead wire of a siding line at Juinagar railway yard. According to railway officials, the problem originated when two crows sitting on the wire inadvertently caused a short circuit by coming into contact with each other. This short circuit led to a fire in the signal box.
As a precautionary measure, the fire brigade was called, but by the time local railway authorities doused the fire and controlled the situation, significant delays had already occurred.
"While the local authorities acted promptly to address the issue, the ensuing impact led to multiple trains running up to 20 minutes behind schedule during the morning rush hours," said an official of Central Railway.
Commuters faced considerable difficulties as Harbour Line train services experienced delays, leading to overcrowding at major stations along the line. Boarding trains became a challenging task due to the packed trains during the morning rush hours, according to a frequent commuter of the Harbour Line.
Expressing his frustration, Somesh Jain (48), a resident of Vashi, shared his experience, stating, "I generally reach the office around 9:30 am, but today I reached at 10:30 am. The trains were not only delayed but also fully packed, making it difficult to board."
Shanta Ram Kamble (45), an employee from Mankhurd, also experienced significant delays, saying, "I was delayed by approximately one hour on Wednesday due to the disruption in train services on the Harbour Line."
According to sources, the problem started when a short circuit occurred due to two crows sitting on the overhead wire coming into contact with each other, resulting in sparking in the overhead wire and a subsequent fire in the signaling and telecommunications equipment located near Juinagar station.
A spokesperson for Central Railway mentioned that, as a precautionary measure, a section was kept closed from 7:30 am to 7:50 am for approximately 20 minutes due to a fire in the signal box caused by grass and bushes in Juinagar sidings.
The Harbour corridor of the Central Railway connects south Mumbai with the western suburbs and Navi Mumbai.Around 8 to 10 lakh commuters travel on the corridor every day
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