On Monday, local train services on the Western Railway network in Mumbai were significantly disrupted due to technical issues arising from a cable being cut at Borivali station. This caused delays and inconvenience for many commuters. Pics/ Satej Shinde
Updated On: 2024-06-03 01:12 PM IST
Compiled by : Sanjana Deshpande
Borivali, one of the busiest stations in north Mumbai, faced operational challenges as platform numbers 1 and 2 were non-functional.
The technical problems were identified around 2 am, leading to a halt in suburban train operations from the affected platforms.
The disruption rendered some track-changing points inoperative, causing significant delays, said Western Railway officials.
In response to the disruption, Western Railway officials managed to operate trains from the remaining platforms (3 to 8) at Borivali, attempting to minimise the impact on commuters.
By later in the morning, Western Railway officials reported partial resolution of the technical issues.
Four of the affected track-changing points were restored, but restoration work continued to bring full normalcy.
With more than 1,300 suburban services operated daily by Western Railway, the disruption impacted around 30 lakh commuters who rely on this network for their daily travel between Churchgate and Dahanu.
To handle the rush caused by delayed local trains, the Maha Mumbai Metro Operation Corporation Limited operated extra Metro services. This helped alleviate the pressure on the disrupted Western Railway network.
On Monday morning, the Metro operated 24 train sets during peak hours instead of the usual 21. This decision was aimed at catering to the increased passenger demand due to the Western Railway disruptions.
Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, the Metropolitan Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), instructed the Metro to run additional services to manage the commuter rush effectively.
The disruptions led to significant overcrowding at Metro Line 2A (Dahisar to Andheri West) and Line 7 (Dahisar to Andheri East), particularly at Borivali, Kurar, and Rashtriya Udyan stations.
In response to the overcrowding, four extra train sets were added on Metro lines 2A and 7 to provide relief to passengers during the peak hours of disruption.
The Metro spokesperson confirmed that these additional services would continue until the situation on the Western Railway network normalises.
