A breakdown of the Overhead Electric (OHE) wires between Thakurli and Dombivli on the Central Railway mainline at 2.35 pm on Monday caused major disruptions to train services in both directions. According to Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila, the issue was resolved at 5.10 pm after two-and-a-half hours. “Consequently, nearly six pairs of local trains were cancelled. Meaning, 12 services remained cancelled. Although services resumed, trains continued to experience delays due to congestion on the tracks. The reason of OHE wire breakdown is yet to be ascertained,” added the official. Meanwhile, special trains were operated between CSMT and Thane on up and down direction as per the CR to prevent overcrowding at stations. The disruption, which began in the afternoon and extended into the evening peak hours, caused significant inconvenience for office commuters returning home. Sayali Vesvikar, a Kalyan resident, described her frustration while trying to catch a fast local train from Ghatkopar station. “When I reached the platform, I realized there was a major issue with trains running late, and the announcements confirmed it. I eventually squeezed into a train that was overcrowded,” she said. Another commuter, Vijay Londhe, mentioned that he waited over an hour at Mulund station for a CSMT fast local train. “I ended up taking a slow local, which was also crowded,” he noted. Similarly, Rupal Chedda, a Kalyan resident, had to wait nearly an hour for a CSMT local train due to the suspension of services, which led to a large crowd forming on the platforms at Kalyan station. Another commuter from Thane criticized the railways for recurring operational issues. Despite the regular mega block conducted on weekends for maintenance, technical problems arose again on Monday. “I don't understand how, after maintenance work over the weekend, suburban local services still face issues on Monday. There appears to be a significant gap in the maintenance and operation of local train services," the commuter said. The Mumbai division of Central Railway, which manages a substantial volume of traffic, operates 1,810 local services daily, with 66 of those being AC services.
