Fire near tracks in Palghar damages signal equipment, delays Western Railway locals

A fire near railway tracks in Maharashtra's Palghar district damaged signal equipment on Western Railway's Mumbai suburban network and disrupted train movement, railway officials said on Monday, November 9. Several local and long-distance trains ran late. Commuters during the Monday morning rush reported delays of at least 15 to 20 minutes.

Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, said the fire was reported around 11.20 pm on Sunday and was put out within 30 minutes. No injuries have been reported.

According to railway officials, the fire broke out near the tracks between two stations in Palghar district. It was brought under control within half an hour, but the signal equipment in that section had by then been damaged.

The damage caused several track circuits to fail. This upset the signalling system and affected the scheduled running of suburban trains. Restrictions on train operations led to delays across the Western Railway network.

Abhishek said suburban and long-distance trains headed towards Mumbai were affected in particular. Because of the signal failure, railway staff had to run trains under the prescribed safety procedure. "Because of the signal failure, up trains are being run by passing two signals, as per the rules," he said.

The suburban timetable was thrown off and many trains ran behind schedule. Long-distance services were also affected, adding to the difficulties of passengers travelling towards Mumbai.

According to commuters, local trains on Monday morning ran at least 15 to 20 minutes late. The delays led to heavier crowding at several stations and inside suburban trains during the morning rush. Passengers travelling in the affected section had to wait longer because of the restrictions imposed after the signal failure.

Abhishek said railway officials were working to fix the signal problem and restore normal operations. Efforts were continuing to repair the damaged equipment and bring the affected track circuits back into service.

Western Railway has not reported any injuries. The extent of the damage to the signalling system and the time needed for full restoration will determine when normal suburban operations return.