Mumbai: Trans-Harbour local train services disrupted after faulty girder placement at Airoli

Workers on site inspect the tilted girders which caused the suspension of Trans-Harbour line services on Friday morning. Pic/Railways

Commuters faced major inconvenience on Friday morning as services on Mumbai's Trans-Harbour line were abruptly suspended following a girder misalignment during overnight construction work at Airoli. Thousands of daily passengers were left stranded or forced to find alternate transport options during peak hours, causing significant delays and crowding at nearby stations.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had undertaken the night block to install 10 girders between Airoli and Rabale.

Following a major goof up of work on the Airoli-Katai naka road over the bridge at Airoli last night Trans-Harbour local train services were suspended since 7:10 am leading to huge inconvenience for commuters. Sources said the girders placed last night were found to be tilted, triggering safety concerns.

Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Central Railway (CR), Dr Swapnil Nila said, "MMRDA had taken a block from 1.00 to 4.00 at night on the Trans-Harbour line to launch girders between Thane and Airoli. It has been noticed that the girders launched are tilted. The traffic is suspended from 7.10 because of this."

As of now, the MMRDA has not issued an official statement on the matter.

Restoration work to rectify the tilted girders began at 8:15 am. According to officials, trans-harbour line services were restored at 11:30 am.