Severe waterlogging caused by heavy rainfall led to a major disruption in train services between Ambernath and Badlapur stations on Wednesday, leaving operations suspended for over 6 hours.
The aftermath of this disruption saw more than a dozen trains being diverted through the Diva-Karjat-Panvel route, while nearly half a dozen intercity express trains connecting Mumbai and Pune were cancelled, causing significant inconvenience to long-distance travelers.
Communication Failures Add to Passenger Woes
The lack of proper communication and timely information compounded the challenges for hundreds of passengers who were supposed to board trains at Kalyan station. With the diversion of trains, many were forced to travel up to Thane to catch their scheduled trains.
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Sadly, several passengers missed their trains due to receiving SMS alerts from railway authorities just one hour before departure, notifying them about the sudden diversion via Diva. The trains, however, did not halt at Diva, resulting in passengers like one distraught CSMT-Chennai mail train traveler Pradip Kumar and his family (five members) being stranded at Thane station.
Paradip Kumar expressed their frustration, stating that if the trains were given a halt at Diva or if they had received advance SMS alerts about the changes, they could have avoided the unfortunate predicament.
Point Failure Aggravates the Situation
Adding to the chaos, a point failure at Kalyan led to numerous long-distance trains becoming stranded between Kasara and Kalyan, further aggravating the situation for stranded passengers.
In a heart-wrenching incident, two elderly passengers, Taraben Navani (85 years) and her sister Kapilaben Navani (70 years), who were returning from the Amarnath Yatra, found themselves caught in the train disruption. The two had taken a break in Nashik to meet their nephew Jayant Somaiya. Unfortunately, their Janshatabdi Express train got stuck near Titwala, prolonging the ordeal for all the affected passengers.
