Harbour line: After ‘freak failure’ of train, focus on delay in DC to AC conversion

Senior officials said that commuters would not have suffered as much if the Central Main and Harbour line power supplies were convergent.

On September 4, more than 70 train services were affected.

The “freak failure” of a local train at Chunabhatti station has highlighted the long delay in the conversion of overhead power supply from direct to alternating current on the Harbour line of Central Railway.

The Harbour line at present runs on a power supply of 1500 V traction. The Central Railway’s main line, from June 8 this year, has been running on 25,000 V alternate current traction. Due to the difference in traction between the two lines, trains could not be diverted Friday after a Harbour line local stopped at Chunabhatti station following a technical failure. The Harbour line is the only Indian Railway line where conversion of power supply from direct to alternating current has not taken place.

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Senior officials said that commuters would not have suffered as much if the Central Main and Harbour line power supplies were convergent.

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“The services were affected for at least 2 hours on the Harbour line. The main issue was trains coming from the up line that could not be diverted from Kurla as the Central line runs on power supply of 25,000 V,” said Amitabh Ojha, divisional railway manager of Mumbai division. “Instead, the up line trains (coming from Panvel and Vashi ) ran up to Mankhurd,” added Ojha.

On September 4, more than 70 train services were affected. “We ran four services from Kurla to CST (Main line) for commuters. The rakes from the Kurla car-shed were pressed into service,” he added. Four train services were run between Vashi and Mankhurd as well.

santoshee.mishra@expressindia.com

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