Around 38 trains had to be cancelled on the Harbour Line on Thursday after a snag in the overhead equipment stalled trains between Panvel and Belapur. The incident was reported between Khandeshwar and Panvel station at 6.45 a.m.
The glitch during peak hours affected office-goers and many of them faced trouble in reaching their destinations. Dipti Patil, an architect from Panvel, said, “I usually board a CSMT-bound train after 6.45 a.m. But today, I had to take a cab till Belapur to catch a train to CSMT. There was too much confusion at the station and most commuters were hiring cabs and autos to Vashi and Belapur to catch another train. A few people took buses to reach their destinations.” Central Railway Senior PRO Anil Jain said the issue was resolved by 8.05 a.m.
In another incident, at 5.39 p.m., heavy smoke was reported from the second coach of a Panvel-Thane train. The commuters alighted the train at Juinagar. Mr. Jain said, “The reason behind the smoke is not known. The smoke was doused using extinguishers by 6.04 p.m., and the train services resumed. Three trains were delayed by around 20 minutes.”
