Mumbai Local Trains Delayed After CSMT Express Inauguration
An inauguration ceremony for the daily Mumbai-Sawantwadi Express at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus disrupted Central Railway’s suburban services on Thursday, with several local trains reportedly running 20 to 50 minutes late and commuters facing crowding at stations across the main line.
The ceremony was held at platform 18 of CSMT, prompting some express and long-distance trains scheduled to use the platform to be diverted to other platforms. Fast suburban services were also operated on slow lines for a period, disrupting the normal movement of local trains, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
Commuters reported waiting between 10 and 20 minutes for local trains at some stations. Several services were subsequently running 30 to 50 minutes behind schedule, leaving passengers facing delays during the working day. The disruption led to crowding at important stations and at multiple stations served by the slow lines.
A senior Central Railway official told Loksatta that delays to mail and express trains had affected the timetable of suburban services. The report did not identify the official by name. The railway’s operational changes around the CSMT ceremony coincided with delays on services serving the main line, including trains travelling towards CSMT from Kasara, Asangaon, Titwala, Khopoli, Karjat, Badlapur, Kalyan and Thane.
The reported delays were particularly significant for Central Railway’s large daily commuter base. Around 35 to 40 lakh passengers travel on the railway each day, according to the figures cited in the report. Morning and evening peak periods account for 83 per cent of the day’s total passenger movement, making timetable disruptions during those periods especially difficult for commuters.
With local trains running 25 to 30 minutes behind their scheduled timings during the morning, crowds grew at major stations and passengers found it difficult to board arriving trains. The report said some commuters travelled hanging at train doors amid the congestion. Delays were also reported during the evening, when passengers faced overcrowding and pushing while attempting to board services.
The disruption affected office-bound commuters, some of whom said recurring delays on Central Railway made it difficult to reach work on time. The report did not provide a separate statement on when the timetable would return to normal or whether further operational measures would be taken after the inauguration programme.
