Central Railway services hit between Thane and Airoli due to girder glitch, commuters stranded

The Central Railway confirmed that the services would return to normal by 10 am. Authorities informed that safety inspections were in progress and services would be resumed only after clearance from structural experts.

Office-goers were annoyed at the sudden station announcements regarding the suspension of services on the Trans-Harbour corridor, connecting Navi Mumbai and Thane.

“There was no information on the app or any prior alert. I waited for almost an hour before learning about the suspension. If such technical work is scheduled overnight, authorities should ensure it doesn’t affect peak-hour travel. It is very frustrating,” said Harshal Joshi, a regular commuter from Vashi who was late to his office in Marol on Friday.

A Central Railway spokesperson clarified the situation, saying the rail traffic was stopped from 7.10 am out of caution to sort out a technical glitch. “MMRDA had held a block between 1 am and 4 am for launching girders between Airoli and Thane. However, afterwards it was noted that the launched girders were inclined,” the spokesperson said.

However, no estimated time was released for service restoration at the time of filing this report. The railway authorities have requested the passengers to monitor updates through authorised means and assured that work on restoration was being undertaken with priority.