Mumbai News: Local Trains Face Major Disruptions Due To Rain, Waterlogging & Technical Issues

Heavy rainfall combined with technical glitches disrupted the suburban railway services of Mumbai on Thursday. Both the Central and Western Railway suburban networks were affected, with significant delays, cancellations, and overcrowding reported at several stations.

According to sources, several local trains were delayed by 15 to 20 minutes during the morning peak hours due to low visibility and waterlogging, inconveniencing office-goers and regular passengers alike. However, the situation worsened by afternoon as technical faults began to surface.

"A major disruption occurred at around 1:25 pm on the Western Railway line due to a signal failure near Andheri. The failure brought services to a standstill, with one loco engine halting on the tracks and further worsening the backlog. Though the issue was resolved by 1:45 pm, the damage had already been done — at least around half dozen local services were cancelled, and several others ran with significant delays" said an official

Simultaneously, the Central Railway faced its own set of issues. At approximately 3:45 pm, a Titwala-CSMT local train experienced a pantograph failure near Kanjurmarg, stranding it for nearly 25 minutes. The technical snag was eventually fixed, and the train departed for CSMT at 4:13 pm. However, the incident created a cascading effect, affecting the services other suburban services.

Central Railway officials reported that trains were running 8 to 12 minutes behind schedule, but on the ground, commuters experienced far worse delays. According to Titwala resident Rajaram Sharma, the 5:19 pm CSMT-Asangaon local arrived at his station over 50 minutes late. Similarly, the 5:41 pm CSMT-Ambernath fast local was delayed by more than 40 minutes.

Even premium services were not spared. The 5:00 pm air-conditioned local from CSMT to Ambernath also ran behind schedule, compounding commuter frustration. Every major station along the route witnessed heavy crowding as stranded passengers waited for delayed or cancelled services. Several announcements regarding cancellations were made, but passengers reported that alternative arrangements were minimal.

“The situation was frustrating. People were packed on platforms with no clear information or support,” said Hitesh Jain ( 40) a Thane based frequent commuter of CR.