Hundreds of passengers were left stranded on platforms.
It wasn't a regular Wednesday for at least 40 lakh commuters of the suburban Central Railways in Mumbai. A fire, late Tuesday night at the Kurla and Vidyavihar signalling cabins damaged some equipment sending the services for a toss through the entire day.
The damage to equipment meant that trains had to be piloted manually instead of automatic, causing every train to run at least an hour behind schedule. And bearing the brunt was the regular commuter who was caught unaware. "We have been told nothing. People are going die if they travel like this," said a commuter.
The damage caused by the fire means the next couple of days will see a drop in the number of trains plying. "We are working to restore the services but for the next three days we will be able to get only 70 percent of the trains to work," says S Malegaonkar, the Public Relations Officer of the Central Railways.
The impact of this fire was witnessed everywhere. Lakhs of commuters waited for hours either on platforms or inside trains to reach their destinations. The main arterial roads of the city namely the LBS Marg and Eastern Express Highway witnessed serpentine traffic jams. Many outstation trains were also affected through the day.
The city bus service BEST ran more buses through the day but with no information on when services would be restored, several commuters continued using the trains. It is estimated that they Central Railways has incurred a loss of over Rs one crore.
The Central Railways is the busiest of the three critical local rail lines that connect the island city to its suburbs. It connects people from far flung suburbs of central Mumbai like Kalyan, Dombivali, Thane to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus.