Central Railway's suburban services were disrupted on Tuesday due to two separate incidents affecting train schedules. In the afternoon, two emergency block were implemented between Matunga and Sion for the track distressing work, causing delays across multiple trains. Earlier in the day, overhead equipment issues near Koper led to additional delays during the early morning hours.
Commuters reported longer wait times and overcrowding, particularly during the evening rush hour. Sandeep Chavan from Kalyan noted that trains were running up to 20 minutes late. He shared that he boarded a Kalyan-bound semi-fast train from Ghatkopar at around 7:35 PM, which was scheduled to arrive at 7:15 PM but did not reach until approximately 7:35 PM.
The delays resulted in significant overcrowding at stations such as Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, and Thane. One commuter lamented the challenges faced at Thane station, stating, "It was nearly impossible to board trains. I had to skip a Kasara fast local because I couldn't get into the compartment, so I decided to take a Kalyan-bound slow local instead."
When contacted a Central Railway spokesperson said that the emergency block for track maintenance between Sion and Matunga had cascading effects on several trains, resulting in delays of around ten minutes during the evening too. However regarding the overhead equipment failure, officials confirmed that it occurred in the early hours and was resolved before the morning rush, ensuring that suburban services were not significantly impacted.
