india

Updated: Apr 24, 2019 10:35 IST

Lakhs of commuters travelling on the Harbour Line of the Mumbai suburban train network faced inconvenience on Wednesday morning as the down line (Vashi bound) overhead wire that supplies power to the trains snapped near Mankhurd station.

After two hours of efforts, the Central Railway restored the power supply and resumed suburban services from 8.10 am. The direct services between Navi Mumbai and CSMT were suspended from around 6.10 am, when the overhead wire snapped.

Railway officers said a few feet long nylon belt thrown on the pantograph that draws power for trains was the reason for the problem. “There seems to be some kind of belt like item on the insulator,” said a CR spokesperson.

The services on the Harbour Line were running at least 45 minutes behind schedule. The Railways had permitted the passengers to travel via the Thane-Vashi trans-harbour line, but due to peak hour traffic the passengers faced a lot of inconvenience.

Several passengers were stranded inside trains and on platforms due to the technical snag. Many were confused as there was no announcement about when the services would resume. “Why is there no proper announcement so that commuters can at least take an alternative mode of transport,” said Kishan Yadav, a Nerul resident.