Central Railway services disrupted, Dadar and CSMT crowded; college student dies hit by AC local at Bhandup

The first day of the new week was one of trouble, not relief, for Mumbai commuters on Monday. The local train service, called the city's lifeline, which carries lakhs of people to their destinations every day, was disrupted from the morning.

Central Railway trains ran erratically from 10 am, and passengers bore the brunt. The signal system was repaired after five hours, but traffic did not return fully to normal and is still disrupted. Passengers suffered considerable hardship because of the problems on Central Railway from 10 am.

A tragic accident occurred at Bhandup railway station in the meantime. A college student died on the spot after being hit by an AC local going from Mumbai towards Kalyan on platform number 3.

The effect of the disruption since morning was still visible in the evening. A huge crowd of passengers has gathered at Dadar railway station. Office-goers have set out for home after work, but have to wait at the station, and the crowd keeps growing because Central Railway services have still not returned to normal. Passengers also faced great difficulty at CSMT station, where the crowd is so thick that there is no room to set foot.

All platforms at Dadar station are packed with passengers, and people waiting for trains are tired of standing. Many have been standing for a long time and are in considerable distress. Passengers are fed up with the disruption, and several expressed anger.

One passenger asked why such a problem arose on the very first day of the week when there was a mega block on Sunday. The passenger asked what exactly is done during a mega block, when trains are kept shut. Passengers said angrily that Monday has only just begun, yet trains do not run properly on any day and some problem occurs every day. A "technical fault" is cited and that is the end of it, they said. They asked why that fault is not fixed on Sunday itself.

The story is being updated.