Mumbai rail disruption: Flash protest at CSMT leaves 2 dead, 3 injured after train hits them

A flash protest by railway staff at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) on Thursday evening threw Central Railway’s Main Line into chaos, bringing suburban train services to a complete halt for nearly an hour during the peak rush hour.

The disruption also led to a tragic incident in which two passengers lost their lives and three others were seriously injured after being hit by a speeding train near Sandhurst Road station.

What led to the protest?

The flash protest began after the Government Railway Police (GRP) filed an FIR against two Central Railway engineers in connection with the June 9 Mumbra accident, where five commuters had fallen from a moving train. Around 4.30 pm, the agitation slowly gained momentum, and by 5.30 pm, railway employees had gathered in large numbers near the motormen’s lobby at CSMT, blocking crew movement and disrupting train operations.

As trains stopped moving across several stations, frustrated commuters began walking along the railway tracks. According to police officials, five passengers who got off a stalled up slow train near Sandhurst Road were struck by a down fast local at 6.50 pm.

The deceased were identified as 19-year-old Hailey Momaiya and an unidentified male commuter. Three others, Yafisa Chogle (62), Khusbu Momaiya (45), and Kaif Chogle (22), were injured and rushed to JJ Hospital.

Services resume after official intervention

The protest was called off around 6.45 pm after senior officials, including Divisional Railway Manager Hiresh Mina, intervened and persuaded the agitators to disperse. “The employees were informed that the protest was severely inconveniencing thousands of commuters,” TOI quoted Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway, as saying.

By the time normal operations resumed, suburban stations like Masjid Bunder, Dockyard Road, and Thane were overcrowded with stranded passengers.

At several locations, commuters jumped off halted trains and began walking on the tracks. Additional police teams from the GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) were deployed to manage the swelling crowds.

Protest led to confusion and delays

In total, around 30 trains were cancelled, and another 30 faced long delays. The effect was felt in Thane as well, where angry passengers staged a brief protest after a Mumbai-bound local was terminated early to make way for a Thane-Karjat special. Officials said the move was necessary to manage congestion on the line.

Meanwhile, senior Central Railway officials criticised the FIR that triggered the unrest, calling it “technically flawed.” They argued that the GRP’s technical findings, prepared with the help of the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI), were incorrect. “If the track was unstable, a derailment would have occurred, not passengers falling,” an official said.

An internal Central Railway inquiry concluded that the Mumbra accident happened because commuters standing on footboards brushed against those on another passing train, leading to a fall. Officials said they would challenge the FIR’s findings in court.