People walk along the tracks next to a derailed suburban passenger train in Mumbai, yesterday.
IANS/Mumbai
At least four commuters, including a woman, were injured and Mumbai’s lifeline - the suburban trains services - were severely hit when eight compartments of a train derailed between Vile Parle and Andheri here yesterday, officials said.
The injured were rushed to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle.
The crowded train from Virar bound for Churchgate on the Western Railway (WR) jumped the tracks with a thundering sound as the driver applied emergency brakes.
According to witnesses, the driver’s alertness to apply the emergency brakes may have helped avert a major tragedy. Fortunately, there was no other train coming from the opposite direction.
The eight derailed coaches choked two fast tracks and threw haywire the morning peak-hour commuter rush.
The train had left Virar around 9.56am and was packed by the time it reached Andheri, where the derailment occurred.
A WR official said a team of officials and engineers rushed to the site to restore train services.
According to tentative estimates, it may take around 24 hours before complete normalcy is restored, spelling a blow to the advance shopping for the 10-day Ganeshotsav festival starting in the state from tomorrow.
The accident hit not only suburban train schedules but also long-distance trains from Mumbai going towards Gujarat, New Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir.
Officials said several long-distance trains scheduled to depart from Bandra, Dadar and Mumbai Central railway stations were being rescheduled on account of delays. These included the Rajdhani Express, August Kranti Rajdhani Express and Karnavati Express, among others.
Similarly, several inbound trains from destinations across the country were being terminated at Borivali, Vasai or Virar stations, and being returned from those stations.
Several trains were cancelled on the WR suburban section resulting in massive crowds of commuters at all stations between Virar and Churchgate in both directions.
The effects of the derailment spilled over to the Central Railway and Harbour Line with delays and cancellations in services. The two main highways passing through the city and other witnessed heavy traffic as people plumped for alternate modes of transport.
This is the second derailment on the Mumbai suburban sector in 18 hours.
Late on Monday evening, three coaches of a train from Bandra derailed while entering the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, badly hitting home-bound peak-hour commuters on the Central Railway.
Angry commuters demanded the resignation of the WR general manager and other officials for failing to ensure safety and security of commuters with frequent accidents.
