Signal failure at Kanjurmarg disrupts Central Railway suburban services; all four lines restored by 6.18 pm

A signal failure at Kanjurmarg station in Central Railway's Mumbai division on Monday disrupted suburban train services. The failure affected Kanjurmarg station and services on the Vikhroli-Bhandup section, so that part of Mumbai's suburban local network could not run as usual that day.

According to Central Railway, the failure occurred at around 9.30 am. Signals at Kanjurmarg and on the affected section went out, showing no aspect at all. Railway officials immediately put alternative arrangements in place so that trains could run safely.

After the failure, trains at Kanjurmarg and in the Vikhroli-Bhandup section were run under A-board authority. Absolute Block Working was introduced on the down local and down through lines between Vikhroli and Bhandup, and on the up local and up through lines between Bhandup and Vikhroli. Trains were also run under TD 912 authority, in line with the prescribed safety procedure.

Central Railway said the first trains to run under this arrangement included train number K39 on the down slow line and train number BL11, which left Vikhroli on the down fast line.

Railway officials began repair work immediately after the failure, and the signalling system on the affected lines was restored in stages. The down fast line reopened at 4.10 pm, followed by the up fast line at 4.46 pm. The down slow line resumed at 5.30 pm and the up slow line at 6.18 pm.

With the reopening of the up slow line, all four affected suburban lines were back to normal by Monday evening. The signal failure occurred at around 9.30 am, alternative arrangements for safe movement were applied at once, and the lines were reopened one by one.

Central Railway has appealed to passengers not to walk on the tracks or cross them at such times. Passengers were also advised to use footbridges, escalators and lifts to move from one platform to another.

The railway administration once again stressed the importance of following safety rules while travelling on suburban lines and of using only the facilities provided for passengers.