Mumbai: Mumbai’s Central Railway suburban services were gradually returning to normal on Tuesday morning after a day of major disruption on Monday that left thousands of commuters stranded, triggered widespread delays and was followed by reports of three deaths on the tracks.
According to popular railway app m-Indicator, Central Railway slow local trains were running around 10–15 minutes behind schedule on Tuesday morning, while some fast services were delayed by up to 35 minutes. Commuters have been advised to check live train updates before beginning their journeys, as services continue to stabilise.
Mumbai local train update | Screenshot/m-Indicator
The disruption on Monday was triggered by two separate technical failures. A fire in the signalling relay room at Kanjurmarg station affected train operations across the main line, while a separate overhead equipment fault between Mulund and Thane added to the delays.
Central Railway Shares Updates On Services Being Restored
In an update posted on Monday night, the Divisional Railway Manager’s office of Central Railway’s Mumbai Division said the signalling failure at Kanjurmarg, reported around 9.33 am, was rectified at 7.35 pm. It confirmed that all six lines had been restored, while warning that train bunching was continuing to affect suburban services.
Central Railway also shared the restoration timeline for the affected signals. The Down Fast Line was restored at 4.10 pm, followed by the Up Fast Line at 4.46 pm. The Down Slow Line resumed normal signalling at 5.30 pm, while the Up Slow Line was restored at 6.18 pm. Signals on the fifth and sixth lines were restored at 6.35 pm and 7.35 pm, respectively.
The fire broke out at around 9.30 am in the signalling relay room near Platform 1 at Kanjurmarg. Smoke emerged from the room as wires connected to signalling equipment caught fire, leaving signals at Kanjurmarg and sections between Bhandup and Vikhroli affected. Railway officials suspect a power supply fluctuation and heat accumulation may have contributed to the incident, although the exact cause remains under investigation.
The situation was compounded by a separate fault between Mulund and Thane, where an external wire fell on the overhead equipment on the Down local line, reportedly causing an insulator to burst. Officials took around 80–90 minutes to rectify the problem.
80 Trains Cancelled, Several Commuters Bear The Brunt
The combined failures led to the cancellation of around 80 train services and delays of 60–90 minutes on parts of the Main and Harbour lines. Several commuters were stranded inside stationary trains, while others reportedly stepped onto the tracks and walked towards nearby stations.
Meanwhile, three people were reportedly found dead on railway tracks on Monday amid the disruption. Two bodies were found along the Ghatkopar–Vikhroli stretch and taken to Rajawadi Hospital, while another person was found in Bhandup. Further details surrounding the deaths were not immediately available.
Central Railway has constituted an inquiry committee to determine the cause of the signalling room fire. Although all six lines have been restored, the railway network is continuing to work through the backlog of delayed services as Mumbai’s daily commute gradually returns to normal.
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