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Following is the chronology of events in the 2006 Mumbai train blasts case, in which the Bombay High Court on Monday acquitted all the 12 accused. *July 11, 2006: Seven bomb blasts in first class compartments of seven local trains on western suburban railway line between 6.23 pm and 6.29 pm. 187 persons killed and 824 injured. *July 11, 2006: Seven separate FIRs lodged in different police stations. Later clubbed and investigated by the Maharashtra Anti- Terrorism Squad (ATS). *July-August 2006: Thirteen persons arrested in the case by the ATS for their involvement in the case. *November 30, 2006: Chargesheet filed against 30 accused, including 13 Pakistani nationals, several of whom are wanted. *2007: Trial begins. *August 19, 2014: Trial ends. Special court reserves its order against 13 arrested accused. *September 11, 2015: Special court convicts 12 out of the 13 accused. One accused acquitted due to lack of evidence against him. *September 30, 2015: Special court imposes de
The Bombay High Court on Friday expressed concern over deaths of commuters on Mumbai local trains, describing the situation as "alarming," an observation coming days after five people lost their lives post-falling off a packed suburban service. The court suggested installing automatic door-closing mechanisms in Mumbai local trains to prevent commuters from falling off, but insisted this was an advice purely from a "layman" perspective and Railway expert views were needed on the issue. A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne urged authorities to take measures to ensure tragic incidents don't occur on the Mumbai suburban network in the future. Citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, the court noted that in 2024 alone over 3,588 fatalities happened on local trains (due to various accidents on the suburban network), which means on an average ten Mumbaikars die everyday. "This is an alarming situation. Though you have projected that there ..
Hours after the train accident near Mumbra in Thane district killed four people on Monday, an eyewitness and co-traveller said the tragedy was triggered by a bag worn by a commuter on a passing train which brushed against those hanging on the footboard, causing a domino-like fall. Dipak Shirsat, a resident of Ulhasnagar in Thane district, lost his friend Ketan Saroj (23) in the accident which occurred when passengers travelling on the footboards of two overcrowded local trains fell off when the trains crossed each on a steep turn. One of the trains was heading towards Kasara and the other Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Mumbai. According to Shirsat, a daily commuter who travelled with the victim Saroj, the two had boarded their usual 8:30 am local train from Shahad. The duo, residents of Ulhasnagar and also colleagues, were en route to their workplace at Airoli in Navi Mumbai, a routine they had followed for years. "As always, we took the same train and Ketan stood near the ..
Local train services on the Central Railway's main line were disrupted on Tuesday morning due to a technical snag in the signalling system near Mumbai, officials said. Suburban trains, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, were running late by at least 15-20 minutes due to the problem that occurred on the south-bound slow track between Diva and Mumbra railway stations in neighbouring Thane district at 4.55 am, they said. Central Railway's (CR) Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said the signal was set right at around 6 am, more than one hour after the snag developed. Owing to the disruption, crowds swelled on the CR's suburban trains and stations on the main line. As a result, passengers faced hardships, a commuter activist said. The main line of the CR stretches from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai to Kasara in Thane, and to Khopoli and Karjat in Raigad district. The Central Railway daily operates nearly 1,800 local services on its suburban railway
Local train services on the Harbour line of the Central Railway in Mumbai were disrupted on Saturday morning due to a snag in overhead equipment between Mankhurd and Vashi railway stations, causing inconvenience to commuters in the rush hours, officials said. The services on the route remained completely suspended for at least two hours after the overhead equipment on the Down (Vashi-bound) line broke around 7.30 am and was fixed by 9.30 am, a Central Railway spokesperson said. As a result, trains are running late by more than half an hour after the resumption of services, commuters said. Vashi is a railway station in Navi Mumbai, while Mankhurd is in Mumbai. A railway bridge built on a creek between these two stations links Mumbai with its satellite city Navi Mumbai. "We regret to inform you that there is disruption in services due to a broken Overhead Equipment (OHE) between Mankhurd and Vashi on the Harbour Line," Rajnish Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway's ..
A day after a 63-hour mega block, Mumbaikars on Monday continued to bear the brunt of delayed local train services on the Central Railway, with the authorities attributing the disruptions to the new signalling system. The Central Railway undertook a 36-hour mega block over the weekend along with a 63-hour block for widening platforms at Thane station between Friday and Sunday. "A new signalling system has been installed at CSMT, featuring Electronic Interlocking (EI). The system is currently stabilising. Many problems can only be identified after the actual movement of trains. The technical teams are on the job and addressing these issues," Central Railway said in a post on "X". The Central Railway claimed trains were running late by 25 to 30 minutes. Commuters, however, said the services were affected between Dadar and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), mainly due to bunching of trains and delays. The commute from Thane to CSMT, usually under an hour, took more than two
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a notice to an advertisement agency on Monday after the Ghatkopar billboard collapse incident, asking it to immediately remove the remaining three hoardings near the spot, officials said. The notice has been issued to M/s Ego Media for installing the hoarding that collapsed on the petrol pump during the gusty winds on Monday evening. According to police, eight persons were killed and more than 70 were injured in the incident. "The BMC has asked the ad agency to remove the remaining three hoardings immediately for not having valid permission," an official said. The Assistant Police Commissioner (Admin) had given permission for erecting the four hoardings on behalf of the Commissioner of Railway Police, Mumbai, including the one which collapsed on Monday, but no official permission or NOC was obtained from the BMC. The official said the land on which the hoarding was erected is the Collector land and it was in possession of Police .
Amid the rising temperatures during the current summer season, a higher number of commuters is preferring to travel by the air-conditioned local trains in Mumbai, officials said. On May 6, the Western Railway issued 3,737 season tickets, the highest since the induction of the AC local trains in the zonal railway, a WR spokesperson said on Tuesday. As many as 1,60,645 card (single or return journey) tickets have been booked this month till May 6, 30 per cent more compared to the corresponding period last year, the official said. As per the WR data, the average ridership of the AC local trains was 1,06, 925 in May 2023-24, and 1,52, 682 till now in May 2024-25. "The number of commuters travelling by AC locals is showing an upward trend," the spokesperson said. A Central Railway spokesperson said they have also witnessed a surge in the number of AC train travellers on the Mumbai suburban network. The CR issued 2,280 season tickets and registered a ridership of 1,49186 on its suburba
Suburban services were delayed on the Central Railway's main line on Wednesday morning by 10-15 minutes due to a technical snag in a local train in Mumbai, alarm chain pulling in an express train and a woman passenger's attempt to forcefully travel in the motorman's cabin of another local train, officials said. A fast local train on way to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai was held up in Bhandup-Nahur section for 20 minutes due to a technical snag, Central Railway's chief public relations officer Dr Shivraj Manaspure told PTI. Besides, an alarm chain pulling in the Solapur-CSMT Express led to halting of the train at Badlapur station in neighbouring Thane district, he said. In another incident, a woman passenger boarded the motorman's cabin in a CSMT-bound Khopoli local train at Diva station in Thane district, causing detention of trains between 6.52 am to 7.05 am, the official said. Manaspure said as the woman commuter refused to de-board the motorman'
Local train services came to a halt on Wednesday between Badlapur and Ambarnath section in Maharashtra's Thane district adjoining Mumbai due to water-logging on railway tracks after heavy rains, officials said. Mumbai and neighbouring Thane received heavy downpour on Wednesday morning. "Badlapur-Ambarnath section (UP + DOWN) closed from 11.05 hrs for traffic due to water-logging," Central Railway's chief public relations officer Dr Shivraj Manaspure said. Rail tracks between Badlapur and Ambarnath stations got inundated at around 10.30 am, as per sources. Meanwhile, train services on the Panvel-Belapur Harbour Line route which were affected to a "point failure" at Panvel at 9.40 am were restored by 10 am, Manaspure said. The Central Railway operates local train services on its Main Line from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai to Kasara in Thane and Khopoli in Raigad district. It also operates suburban services on the Harbour Line from CSMT to Panvel (Raig