Signal failures halt Central Railway locals in Mumbai for over three and a half hours

Mumbai's suburban local train service, often called the city's lifeline, came to a complete halt on Monday because of a major technical failure. Faults hit the signal system at two places on the Central Railway line at 10 am. One was between Mulund and Thane, the other between Kanjurmarg and Bhandup.

Technical glitches are nothing new for Central Railway commuters, so many at first assumed it was a minor problem, as usual. But more than three and a half hours later, Central Railway services remain completely stopped. Trains are held up on both the fast and slow lines in the up and down directions.

Office-goers who set out in the morning were stranded in their trains. Mumbai is in the grip of fierce October heat, and with locals standing in one place, commuters were in a bad state. Eventually, some passengers got fed up, got off the trains and began walking along the railway track.

Central Railway operations have been disrupted since 10 am. Three and a half hours into the shutdown, the railway administration has still not been able to repair the signal system fault. According to sources, it could take another four to five hours to fix. Mumbaikars may therefore face severe difficulty on their way home this evening as well. With Central Railway shut, traffic jams are feared to worsen on the Eastern Express Highway and LBS Road.

A day earlier, on Sunday, a megablock had been in force on the Central Railway line. Despite that, the signal system failed on the first day of the week, angering commuters. In Mumbai, the country's financial capital, more than four hours have passed without success in repairing the fault in such a vital transport system. The railway administration is under fire for this reason.

Delays and technical faults on the Central Railway line are not new for commuters, but on Monday it went beyond all limits. It remains to be seen what explanation the railway administration offers.