Mumbai: Central Railway locals hit for four hours after signal room fire; man, 21, killed on tracks at Bhandup

Mumbai's Central Railway suburban line was disrupted from Monday morning, causing great hardship to commuters. Services between Thane and CSMT were thrown off and locals remained suspended for more than four hours. Many passengers got off the trains where they had stopped and tried to walk ahead along the tracks.

The cause was a fault in the signal system. A fire broke out suddenly on Monday morning in the signalling system room between Vikhroli and Bhandup, and this affected local services. Locals on both Central Railway lines were running at a very slow speed, and passengers returning home bore the brunt. Services hit by the signal failure had still not fully returned to normal.

As the locals stood stalled for long, passengers had to get down and walk along the tracks in the harsh sun. Many left the tracks, reached the road outside and went to their offices by city bus, autorickshaw or cab. Commuters are angry after being stranded for three to four hours since morning.

Amid the chaos, a serious accident occurred on the tracks at Bhandup station. A passenger who was crossing from platform number 4 to platform number 3 to catch a local near Bhandup station was hit by a local train and died. The deceased has been identified as Sahil Thite, 21. Sahil lived in the Amar Nagar area of Mulund Colony. Passengers are angry after the incident.

Meanwhile, signals on three of Central Railway's four lines were repaired and restored by 6 pm. Work on the slow line towards Mumbai was still pending, and the railway administration said work on it was continuing.