Bombay Rains Live | West railways: Mumbai rains cause some of the collapse of the Andheri bridge

MUMBAI: The port line services were restored after completing the restoration work at Andheri on the war foot while the first train for CSTM from Andheri departed at 2:15 pm, Western Railway said.

A Road Overbridge (ROB) collapsed on railroad tracks in the suburb of Andheri amid heavy rains this morning, ending the local services of the Western Railway and affecting some trains long distance, said an official.

Five people were injured in the incident, announced the Brihamumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), adding that two of them had been seriously injured.

Minister Piyush Goyal ordered an investigation into the incident and ordered officials to expedite the repair and refurbishment of the traffic.

"Part of Road Over Bridge fell on rails near Andheri station affecting rail traffic, officials were instructed to speed up the repair work and quickly restore traffic to coordination with other departments. "the minister tweeted.

Office customers, for whom local trains are the lifeline for daily transportation, have borne the maximum weight many of them could not reach their place of work.

Earlier, the famous Tiffin carriers from Mumbai, Dabbawalas, also reported their inability to operate due to the unavailability of rail services.

Maharashtra Prime Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked the Mumbai Police Commissioner to ensure smooth traffic and asked the BMC to increase its bus service for the convenience of commuters.

Gokhale's road bridge collapsed near the east side of the station at around 7:30 am, a BMC disaster management cell official said.

The structural audit of all pedestrian and road bridges, including the one that collapsed, is underway, a senior WR official said.

"Five people were reportedly injured, two of them seriously, and reportedly admitted to a nearby municipal hospital," the BMC said in a statement.

They were taken to Cooper Hospital, he says.

Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar alleged that the railway was responsible for the ORB while it was passing over the railroad tracks.

However, BJP leaders said it was time to help the stranded commuters rather than indulge in the "game of blame".

Sachin Ahir, the head of the NCP in Mumbai, described it as "other failure" of the authorities and criticized the ruling BJP party and the Shiv Sena party for not having does enough for the inhabitants of the megacity.

Mumbai's suburban minister, Vinod Tawde, said the railways should conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.

Mumbai Congress Chief Sanjay Nirupam said the Minister of Railways should ensure a hassle-free and fearless journey for travelers.

"The frequency of accidents has shaken the confidence of rail passengers," he said in a video message.

Some long-distance express trains were canceled and postponed due to the collapse of the ROB.

The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST), the civil society transport provider, manages 27 special buses between Borivali and Bandra.

The WR also arranged for the reimbursement of long-distance passenger tickets that were canceled due to the incident.

In one particular case, WR commuters were allowed to travel on alternative routes of the Central Railway, the WR said in a statement.

Private carriers Vistara and Jet Airways said that they could accommodate passengers late due to traffic congestion due to the incident.

Local trains run between Churchgate (south of Mumbai) and Bandra (in the western suburbs), and between Virar (located in the neighboring district of Palghar) and Goregaon (western suburbs), said another WR official .

Firefighters, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Mumbai Police, Railway Police and the BMC Local are on site and are working to clean up the debris and repair the wreckage. ; OHE damaged. I said.

"Unceasing rains apparently caused cracks in the ROB, causing it to collapse, fortunately, no trains were passing on the runway under the bridge at that time," he said.

The Chief Minister asked the Mumbai Police and the BMC to ensure the smooth running of the traffic, said the Office of the Chief Minister (CMO).

"CM @Dev_Fadnavis met with @CPMumbaiPolice and the BMC Commissioner on the incident # GokhaleBridgeCollapse.CM asked the CP to ensure the smooth flow of traffic and also asked the BMC Commissioner to increase the frequency of the BEST buses for the convenience of commuters.

Traffic police issued a notice to travelers on the routes to follow for the collapse of the bridge.

Officials said that water registration and traffic disruption were reported from several parts of the city.

Residents are unlikely to get a respite from bad weather, as the weather service has forecast heavy rains today and tomorrow in Mumbai and surrounding areas.