Mumbai:
Mumbai's two-day-old local train crisis on the arterial Central line has claimed three lives. Hanging on precariously to an over-crowded train, two men hit a signal pole on the side of the tracks, fell off the train and died in suburban Mulund.
There were reports of other accidents due to overcrowding of trains - four people fell off a train at Ghatkopar; three people fell at Vikhroli. One of the injured succumbed to his injuries in a hospital later.
Overcrowded trains is an everyday phenomenon in Mumbai, where the local train network is a lifeline, but matters have been far worse since yesterday, when a fire at signaling cabins in Kurla and Vidyavihar stations caused damage to equipment leading to big delays as fewer trains ran on the Central line. In the absence of electronic signals, flags are being used to keep trains running.
There was much chaos all through the day on Wednesday, especially at peak office hours in the morning and evening, but things looked far more organised as fewer people than usual seemed to turn up at stations early this morning. As the day wore on, however, the crowds swelled and soon the trains running on the Central line, 15% less trains than usual, were frighteningly overcrowded.
Trains are still running late; nearly 60 per cent of the breakdown after the fire in the signalling cabins at Kurla and Vidyavihar stations on Tuesday night has been repaired, the railway authorities said, and that the situation is expected to return to normal by tomorrow. The Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) is running 100 extra buses in the city today in view of the Central line problem. Also, the other two rail lines (Western and Harbour) have been asked to press in more services to connect nodal stations.
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 (CST). Around 40 lakh commuters travel on Mumbai's Central Railway line every day.
Yesterday, the 45-minute delay in the services and the cancellations of several trains led to a loss of Rs 1 crore for Mumbai's Central Railway. It also led to chaos on the city's roads with several regular commuters forced to take out their cars or hire cabs, causing massive jams at crucial junctions like the Eastern Express Highway.