The Central Railways (CR) commemorated the 166th anniversary of India's first passenger train on Tuesday with disturbances in its train services. In 3 separate incidents, heatwave which has swept across the city threw the railway services into disarray. According to CR officials, immense heat led to the expansion of the metal tracks between Wadala-Sewri, Kalyan-Ulhasnagar and Diva-Thakurli at different times of the day. As a result, trains were delayed by 20-25 minutes until Tuesday evening while a few were cancelled. "An urgent maintenance block was undertaken, and we had to destress the rail tracks in these sections," said a CR official on condition of anonymity. When rail tracks exposed to extreme heat, the metal tends to expand. Thus, it needs to be destressed. Otherwise, it can lead to train derailment, explained a railway official. The disruption at these locations occurred in afternoon hours when the temperature tends to be high. The CR undertook a mega block between Wadala and Sewri between 12.25pm and 12.55pm. During these 30 minutes, the trains plying towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Panvel were stalled. Another mega block was undertaken from 1.25 pm to 1.55 pm where the trains services between Kalyan and Ulhasnagar were disrupted. During the block, the rail authorities inspected the tracks and their health. As a single track runs for several meters, until it's connected by another one, the route between two or more stations had to be shut temporarily for checks. Train services between Diva and Thakurli were disrupted at around 3.15pm when an external cable fell on the overhead wire which supplies electricity to the trains. TRACK HEALTH

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