Harbour line disrupted after cracks develop on tracks between Tilak Nagar & Kurla stations
Fortunately, an alert keyman spotted the crack and alerted the motorman who brought the train to a halt before any untoward incident took place
Peak hour services on the Central Railway-run Harbour line were affected for a short while on Monday morning after cracks were seen on the tracks between Tilak Nagar and Kurla stations.
According to officials, keyman Mukesh Kumar was carrying out a routine inspection when he noticed cracks on the track between the two suburban stations around 9:25 am.
Kumar immediately alerted the motorman of the incoming CSMT-bound local, who began halting the train. By the time the motorman brought the train to a complete halt, a part of it had glided over the crack. However, none of the bogies derailed.
The administration quickly rushed to repair the track and services resumed around 9:35 am. But the few minutes of disruption was enough to cause bunching of trains, which eventually resulted in delayed services on the Panvel-CSMT route.
On average, commuters reported a delay of around 15-20 minutes initially. The situation has normalised as of publishing this report.
Meanwhile, CR authorities have decided the reward the alert official who helped avert a major catastrophe.
Unfortunately for commuters, the incident took place amid the ongoing BEST bus strike, which entered its seventh day today.
Since the BEST workers went on strike last week, a large portion of its 25 lakh plus daily commuters have turned to locals for their daily travel, putting additional stress on the already congested network.
