Kasara Local Ends Up on Wrong Platform at Mumbai CSMT, Central Railway Cites Technical Glitch
Mumbai: A Kasara-CSMT fast local train pulled into Platform 9 reserved for mail and express trains at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus on Wednesday afternoon instead of its designated suburban platform, causing confusion among passengers and raising fresh questions about Central Railway’s signalling and track management.
The 11:59 am up fast local from Kasara was diverted to Platform 9, a non-suburban section platform, before being moved to the yard. Central Railway attributed the incident to a technical glitch, stating the train had to be brought to Platform 9 due to a technical fault and was subsequently taken to the yard. Passenger groups, however, have questioned whether the diversion was caused by a signalling failure or by negligence on the part of the motorman and the control room.
The incident is not an isolated one. On April 21, a signal failure had brought two local trains face-to-face on the same track. A major accident was averted, but hundreds of passengers were forced to walk along the track in scorching heat. Despite that near-miss, Wednesday’s incident suggests Central Railway has not addressed the underlying lapses. Central Railway officials did not respond to requests for comment.
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Passenger organisations noted that Central Railway carries over 40 lakh passengers daily across its Main, Harbour, and Trans-Harbour lines, and incidents of this nature raise serious safety concerns. During peak summer afternoons, trains on the network are routinely running 30 minutes or more behind schedule, adding to commuter hardship during office hours.