Thousands of commuters were left stranded on Friday morning after services on the Central Railway’s Trans-Harbour corridor between Thane and Airoli were suspended due to a technical glitch. The disruption, which began around 7:10 am, caused major delays during peak hours, particularly affecting office-goers traveling between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai.
Central Railway officials said that services on the Trans-Harbour line were halted as a precaution after a girder launched by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) was found to be inclined. The girder installation had taken place during a scheduled block between 1 am and 4 am.
“Rail traffic was stopped from 7:10 am to address a technical issue after the MMRDA girder launch. The girders were found to be misaligned, and inspections were immediately initiated to ensure safety,” said a Central Railway spokesperson.
While main line trains were delayed by over 30 minutes, services on the Trans-Harbour line were suspended entirely after 8 am. Central Railway later confirmed that services were expected to return to normal by 10 am, pending structural clearance.
Frustration ran high among regular passengers, many of whom complained about the lack of timely communication. Harshal Joshi, a daily commuter from Vashi, said, “There was no update on the app or any alert in advance. I waited for nearly an hour before I heard about the suspension. These issues during peak hours are extremely inconvenient.”
Railway officials have urged passengers to check for real-time updates through official communication channels and assured that restoration work was being carried out on a priority basis.
