Central Railway locals hit by Kanjurmarg relay room fire and overhead wire snag near Thane

Mumbai's suburban commuters faced severe hardship at the start of the week after two separate technical faults hit Central Railway at the same time. There was a fault in the overhead wire between Thane and Mulund, while a fire broke out in the railway's relay room at Kanjurmarg. Local services towards Mumbai were affected, and many trains stood stalled for long periods, leaving people heading to work in a bad state.

On the Thane-Mulund stretch, something had fallen on the overhead wire between the two stations, cutting the power supply. Locals heading towards Mumbai were affected and services stayed disrupted for some time. Railway authorities began repairs immediately and it was later said that the fault had been fixed.

The second fault occurred at Kanjurmarg station, where the relay room controls suburban services. A minor fire broke out in the room at around 9.30 am, it was said. This directly affected the signal system. With signals down, train movement stopped. Trains stood where they were, and the locals behind them heading towards Mumbai were also held up. The two incidents threw Central Railway's entire timetable off schedule.

Passengers had to wait for long hours inside trains. For those who had to reach work on time, it became a major ordeal. Some passengers got off and walked along the railway tracks to reach their destinations. Timetables of locals on routes further down the line were also disrupted, not just at these stations.

The question was when services would be restored. It was said that repairing the signal system at Kanjurmarg was taking longer. Railway authorities were trying to get the fast line signal system working between 4 pm and 5 pm. Services on the slow line were expected to return to normal by night.

Because of this signal fault and the repair work, it may take time for the local timetable to get back on track. Passengers returning home from work in the evening may therefore also face difficulties.

Around 5 pm, a Kasara-bound local was standing at Vikhroli. Passengers had got off the train and were walking on the track. As one local after another arrived, trains bunched up, and train after train could be seen standing in a line. Passengers were travelling along the track at risk to their lives. People were seen helping women and young women get down from the trains. Some people walked along the track from Ghatkopar.