The Central Railway (CR) services were thrown out of gear on Friday after a technical snag hit the overhead equipment (OHE) of a train at Mulund station. The incident took place at 2 p.m. when a slow local from Titwala was entering platform number two at the station.
Senior railway officials said that they noticed sparks emitting from the OHE and had to cut power to it for 30 minutes, leading to suspension of services towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). Railway officials said the cover over platform (COP) at the station was deemed too close to the OHE. An official said, “There was a danger that the COP might touch the OHE. We encountered this issue for the first time today. The power to the OHE had to be cut and the portion threatening to touch the OHE was removed.”
Through the afternoon, the impact of the snag was felt by all slow services to CSMT, which were delayed by over 30 minutes. To resolve the situation, the CR diverted slow services to the fast corridor. The impact was felt on the down line as well with services running around 10 minutes late.
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Soon after the snag, a train heading to CSMT from Thane was stranded in the section between Thane and Mulund between 2.05 p.m. and 2.57 p.m., forcing several passengers to alight and walk on the tracks back to Thane. Friday’s incident was the latest in a series of snags that have hit services on the Central Line over the past few weeks.