Despite receding waters, Nalasopara trains stalled

Mumbai: After the suspension of services due to water-logged tracks amid heavy rains on Tuesday, the suburban services of the Western Railways (WR) resumed almost 24 hours later on Wednesday at 6.22 am between Virar to Churchgate, with speed restriction of 10 km/h from Virar to Bhayandar. However, the services between Dahanu to Churchgate stayed disrupted till late afternoon.

Passengers from Nalasopara were forced to return home as there was water-logging. AC train services also did not resume. Ten local rakes, Vadodara and Shatabdi Expresses were marooned. Due to water-logging of up to 10 meters on Nalasopara tracks, 130 suburban services were cancelled, while 40 services were delayed. Fifteen express trains were cancelled.

A commuter Rizwan Shaikh, who is interning with a legal firm in Fort and is a Nalasopara resident, said that he went to catch a train after wading through water on the station road on Wednesday morning. “I thought trains would be running as water had receded, but at 8.00 am I did not find any train. I waited for half an hour,  and then returned home,” Mr. Shaikh said.

Kishan Hiralal Yadav, a resident of Boisar, said, “I had to reach GT Hospital to collect medicines, but at Boisar station I learnt that trains were not running beyond Virar. Therefore, I retuned home.”  A WR public relations officer claimed that the first local from Virar to Churchgate ran at 6.22 am, and the first down slow from Churchgate to Virar at 8.50 am with speed restrictions. The WR said that the first train ran at 6.00 am from Dahanu to Virar.