Sep 02, 2024 12:14 PM IST
The delays come in the wake of a major 10-hour maintenance block at Malad station, which Western Railway officials cite as the primary cause.
Mumbai: Local trains on the Western Railway in Mumbai are running 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule on average this Monday morning. The delays come in the wake of a major 10-hour maintenance block at Malad station, which Western Railway officials cite as the primary cause.
Sources indicate that during the block, tracks were cut and rejoined to create a new rail line. As a safety precaution, trains are now operating at reduced speeds. A Western Railway spokesperson stated, “There are no technical failures. We have issued caution orders due to which trains are running at lesser speed”.
The caution order has resulted in trains operating at speeds of approximately 30 kilometers per hour near Malad. Over the weekend, Western Railway authorities commissioned a new track at Malad West, which will be used for Virar-bound ‘Down’ slow trains.
As part of this project, a 1.4-kilometre stretch was successfully commissioned at Malad station during the night between 31 August and 1 September. Western Railway authorities have begun construction of a sixth line between Goregaon and Kandivali stations to segregate suburban and long-distance trains.
To facilitate this work, they implemented a 10-hour block with coordinated efforts from the Engineering, Signal & Telecommunication (S&T), and Electrical departments. The operation employed approximately 400 workers, supported by heavy machinery including JCBs, tamping machines and tower wagons.
