CST-Panvel local derails at Belapur, none injured

Thousands of commuters on Central Railway’s harbour line were inconvenienced throughout the day after a Panvel-bound train derailed between Seawoods and Belapur stations during the peak hours at 10.40am. The accident seems to have occurred during the maintenance of tracks at the spot. No commuters were injured.

A senior railway official said that ‘ballast cleaning’ work  was in progress at the spot of the derailment and it may have caused the accident. The official said that the accident should not have occurred because, as per procedure, a speed limit of 20km per hour had been imposed on the stretch.

The accident forced the CR to suspend the services completely between Panvel and CST. Instead, there were shuttle services running between Panvel and Belapur and Nerul and CST. Many commuters were forced to take buses, which were far from sufficient to cater to the unexpected increase in demand.

The PR department of the CR, said, “The cause of the derailment is under investigation and the GM has asked a high-level committee to submit the report within three days.”