Accident averted as local halts metres away from stationary train at CST

Mumbai: An accident was averted on Tuesday when a local train allegedly breached a red signal, almost entered a platform where a train was already standing and halted just a few metres away at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The incident took place around 3.55pm.

Authorities said they will inquire if it was a signal failure or if the motorman passed the red signal at danger mark (called as signal passing at danger — SPAD), which is counted as an accident.

“It seems to be a case of signal failure as the motorman crossed the signal pole. There will be an inquiry into this incident,” said an official of the Central Railway (CR).

According to CR senior officials, the train came to a halt just meters away from the station. Sources said that this happened on the tracks leading to platform 4 where another train was already standing.

When the train came to a halt, it was close to the platform, and commuters alighted from the train and walked along the tracks to reach the platform.

The train, however, occupied the stretch of the tracks for almost 30 minutes. As a result, trains on the Main line were affected by 15-20 minutes during the evening peak hours. Even the trains operating on the Harbour line from CSMT were briefly impacted.

This is the second day in a row that there has been an issue with the signaling system on the CR. On Wednesday, a signal failure at Karjat station affected train services on Up and Down lines for over half an hour.