Rail fractures put commuters in agony

The situation worsened after a `special block’ was operated on the Harbour line and trains were diverted to the Central line. This further hit the frequency of trains on the central line. While the frequency of CR services improved in the afternoon, trains were running late by over two hours till 6 pm. Officials, however refuted this. They asserted that at Kalwa restoration work was over in a matter of 25 minutes and the services resumed at 9 am. On the Harbour line, officials maintained, normal traffic resumed around 2.45 pm.

Passengers, who had a tough time catching BEST buses and running after cabbies, however, beg to differ.

Express Newsline spoke to a visibly upset Kamal Zaveri, as he got off a local at CST: “Delayed services are nothing new to us. However, it would have been nice had the CR shown the courtesy to tell us what was wrong and how much time they were going to take to set things right…is it asking for too much?

C Rajlaxmi, a resident of Thane was witness to the peak-hour chaos. “The scene at the Thane station was that of complete chaos. Nobody had a clue as to what was happening or when they would get to reach their destination.” Nobody was willing to tell us why the trains were delayed. While the office staff at the station was mum, the public address system was being used to inform passengers about the out-station trains,” she said.

The central railway spokesperson said trains from Belapur and Mankhurd were diverted on to the main line from Kurla to reach CST. A special 45-minute block was operated near Reay road between 3 pm and 3.45 pm, he added.