Mumbai: Central Railway's services on main line hit due to glitch in signalling system

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A signalling system glitch near Vikhroli station disrupted local train services on the Mainline of Central Railway's Mumbai's suburban network on Thursday morning, leading to overcrowding at several stations and causing significant inconvenience to commuters during rush hour.

Central Railway officials reported that a technical fault occurred in the signalling system on the UP (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-bound) fast line at around 7 am, causing some local trains to be held up for about an hour, reported PTI.

"Due to some Technical Faults at up through line near Vikroli Station, local trains are held up hence some locals are running behind Schedule time. We are continuously working on it to resolve the same as early as possible. Inconvenience is highly regretted," tweeted Rajneesh Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager of Central Railway's Mumbai division.

He later updated that the glitch was rectified by 8:05 am.

Commuters faced 20 to 30-minute delays, which resulted in congested trains and stations during peak hours. As CSMT-bound fast trains were held up for significant periods of time, many commuters took to walking along the tracks to the next station in search of alternate transportation, the PTI report.

Passengers were frustrated by the disruption. "Central Railway trains are always punctual - if you consider being at least 20 minutes late every day as on time. And don't expect any announcements about platform changes or cancellations; they like to keep things exciting," a commuter, Mandar Abhyankar, wrote on Facebook.

Earlier this month, commuters faced major disruptions across the Central and Western Railway, resulting in mayhem during peak hours.

The Central Railway operates over 1,800 suburban services daily across Raigad and Thane districts outside Mumbai, serving more than 30 lakh commuters.