Doubling the width of a 45-foot-wide drain inadvertently brought trains on Central Railway (CR) to a grinding halt for three hours on Wednesday. Ongoing drain-widening works taken up by the BMC between Bhandup and Nahur led to the narrowing down of the waterway, causing flooding on the tracks. Due to the disruption, 35 mail express trains were affected on the up and down lines.

Meanwhile, 40 suburban locals were impacted on the main line. The main drain is being widened to more than 90 feet and two adjoining drains are also being widened. A road passing in the east of the railway line over these very drains as a bridge is also being constructed. When mid-day visited the spot, the area was a mess of open drains filled with debris while labourers toiled in scattered groups. A temporary bridge that had been built earlier on a diverted road has been demolished. The waterways near Bhandup are the main channel to the Airoli creek which is a bed of mangroves that connects to the Arabian Sea.