Mumbai local chaos: Did shoddy work cause train to derail near Dombivali station?

A coach of an empty local train derailed on Monday near Dombivli station where work had been carried out the previous day sparking delays on the suburban network While passenger associations have questioned Central Railwayrsquos CR maintenance practices a Central Railway spokesperson told midday that a highlevel investigation had been launchedThe incident occurred around 809 am when the train was travelling from Kalwa car shed to Kalyan Since the train was empty no injuries were reported The rerailment was finished at 1010 am and operations resumed from 1045 am In total 12 trains were diverted and nine cancelledThe Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh one of the oldest organisations in the city raised serious concerns regarding the quality and execution of maintenance activities carried out during the mega block undertaken on SundayHeavy crowding was reported at CBD Belapur station after a Wadalabound train from Panvel was cancelled midroute and diverted to the carshed forcing all passengers to deboardStranded commuters gathered on Platforms 2 and 3 waiting for the next train to continue theirhellip pictwittercomqEdgr5MwChmdash Mid Day mid_day April 21 2026Siddhesh Desai vicepresident of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi SanghAccording to a note issued by the body extensive maintenance and infrastructure work including platform extension and trackrelated modifications were carried out between the Mulund Thane Diva and Dombivli sections These activities were expected to enhance the safety and operational reliability of suburban servicesPravasi Sangh speaks outSiddhesh Desai vicepresident of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh said ldquoWithin hours of completion of the mega block the derailment occurred Though no injuries were reported the incident raises critical questions about the effectiveness quality control and supervision of the work carried out during the mega block in the same section It is deeply concerning that despite halting suburban train services for maintenance longdistance trains were reportedly allowed to operate on the same tracks during the mega block period This practice not only disrupts the maintenance process but also poses a serious threat to the safety of onground railway staff including gangmen and technical workers who are engaged in highrisk activities on live tracksrdquoldquoAdditionally with the onset of severe heatwave conditions forcing frontline workers to carry out such intensive tasks without adequate protection scheduling adjustments or operational safeguards reflects a lack of sensitivity towards workforce safety and welfare Passenger safety cannot be compromised under any circumstances Mega blocks are meant to improve safety mdash not to raise new concernsrdquo he addedDemands raised in Desairsquos petitiongtgt A highlevel independent inquiry into the derailment and its possible linkage with the mega block workgtgt Strict quality audits and accountability mechanisms for all such maintenance activitiesgtgt Immediate prohibition of longdistance train movements on tracks under maintenance during mega blocksgtgt Creation and strict enforcement of dedicated corridorstracks to ensure that maintenance work is carried out in a completely safe and interruptionfree environmentgtgt Implementation of safety protocols and humane working conditions for railway staff especially during extreme weather conditionsVoices of concernLata Argade president Suburban Railway Passengersrsquo FederationlsquoAs there was a sharp curve towards Kalyan at Dombivli station platform no 1 the speed of the train had to be low Work had been done to fix technical problems with the railway track on which the coach derailed Fortunately there was no major accident due to the low speed All this demands a thorough investigationrsquoRohan Ramesh commuterlsquoThe crossover where the train derailed has been a problem A similar derailment happened a few years ago Yesterday Sunday during the block sleepers were changed The curve needs to be straightenedrsquo809 amTime incident occurred on Monday