Commuters of the central railway had to face severe inconveniences on Friday evening as the overhead electric wire between Matunga and Sion stations broke accidentally.
Commuters of the central railway had to face severe inconveniences on Friday evening as the overhead electric wire between Matunga and Sion stations broke accidentally and damaged and broke the pantographs, the devices fitted above local trains which collect electric current from overhead wires so that trains can run, of two local trains. This crippled the railway time table during the evening peak hours and ensured that commuters have a harrowing time on their journey towards their homes.
It all started at around 4.15pm when a Kurla-bound train was nearing Sion station. Commuters said that a sharp sound from above could be heard. Even before the train could reach the station, it stopped midway. Soon, a Thane-bound train which had just begun its journey from Dadar stopped some distance before the Kurla train. “It felt like the roof of the train was hit by something hard. When we later got down on the tracks, we could see the damaged pantographs and overhead wires which were dangling precariously,” said a commuter.
Several commuters could be seen walking on the tracks. Some walked towards Matunga station while others towards Sion. Dilip Samant, 59, and Darshana Samant were travelling towards Ghatkopar. “There was no announcement inside the trains as the fans, lights and announcement systems stopped working suddenly. We had no clue about what had happened and how long will it be before the train started to move again. After waiting for long and watching many fellow commuters alighted the train on the tracks so that they could catch a train from the near-most stations, we too decided to do the same,” Dilip said. Several other commuters made the same complaints. They also criticised the railway administration for forcing them to put their lives into danger by walking on tracks even as the trains on the other tracks were running.
Central Railways chief spokesperson VA Malegaonkar said, “Between 4 to 6pm, trains on the slow tracks between Matunga and Vidyavihar were diverted through the fast tracks. There was an average delay of 15-20 minutes and 16 services were cancelled.”
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