Local commuters in Mumbai on Wednesday walked on railway tracks to reach their offices after local train services failed.
The train services were disrupted for about an hour after a bamboo structure had fallen on an overhead wire between Sion and Matunga stations.
As per information from the Central Railway, a local train in the up direction was stranded for nearly 35 minutes from 7:45 am to 8:20 am on the fast line due to the overhead wires.
A few trains were diverted on the slow line, which has delayed all the local trains.
Due to the delay in Mumbai’s local train services, many passengers got off the trains and walked along the tracks.
Central Railway’s chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila said: “A bamboo structure erected around a building adjacent to the railway line fell down on the UP fast (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-bound) line between Sion and Matunga stations at around 7.25 am. Due to the incident, the fast local train services on the Main line were held up as they had to switch off the power supply to the overhead wire for removing the bamboo fallen on it. Services on this line were restored at 8.20 am.”
Over 70 lakh commuters use the local trains daily, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, operated by the Central Railway and the Western Railway.
The Central Railway-operated local trains ferry around 35 lakh suburban commuters every day through 1,810 services on four corridors -- the Mainline, the Harbour line, the Trans-Harbour line and the Belapur-Uran line.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday had issued a warning of heavy rain in Mumbai and Thane.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had also forecasted the possibility of heavy to very heavy rains in isolated parts of the city and suburbs. Occasional winds at a speed of 50 to 60 km per hour are also very likely.