Harbour Line Hit by Morning Chaos Again as Nerul Signal Failure Disrupts Services

Mumbai, June 10: In yet another blow to Mumbai’s suburban railway commuters, services on the Harbour Line were severely disrupted during peak morning hours on Tuesday due to a technical snag at Nerul station. The issue, which began at around 8:03 am, brought operations to a halt and left thousands of daily passengers stranded or delayed.

According to Central Railway officials, the signaling panel at Nerul suddenly became unresponsive, resulting in two trains being halted on the tracks. “Around 8:03 am, the panel at Nerul stopped responding. Two trains were stuck but were eventually moved after manual clamping of points. Some services were diverted via Vashi during the disruption,” an official said.

Though the technical issue was resolved by 8:47 am, the cascading effect led to widespread delays of up to 15 minutes across the network. Stations such as Kurla, Vashi, and Belapur witnessed intense crowding, with frustrated commuters struggling to board already-packed trains.

“This is becoming a routine issue,” lamented Sunita Kambal, a daily Harbour Line commuter. “Most days, trains run late. The overcrowding that follows not only causes discomfort but also raises serious safety concerns.”

The recurring nature of such disruptions has sparked increasing public outcry, with passengers demanding more reliable infrastructure and quicker response mechanisms. Many expressed concern that despite recent investments in rail modernization, technical glitches continue to plague daily travel, putting both schedules and safety at risk.

While railway authorities maintain that contingency measures are in place, regular commuters argue that these are proving inadequate in the face of mounting demand and aging systems.

As the Harbour Line remains one of the lifelines of the city’s transit system, especially for Navi Mumbai and South Mumbai-bound workers, calls for urgent intervention and systemic upgrades are growing louder.