Heat expands tracks, Central Railway takes emergency blocks at Parel, Byculla, Diva and Digha
Eight Mumbai suburban services were hit on Tuesday as Central Railway took emergency blocks to deal with tracks expanding in the heat.
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Rising heat in Mumbai is now showing its effect on railway tracks, and lakhs of suburban commuters are bearing the brunt. In hot, humid weather the tracks begin to expand. To prevent this, Central Railway had to take emergency distress blocks in the Parel, Byculla, Diva and Digha areas. The blocks disrupted suburban services on Central Railway's main line and Trans-Harbour line, and commuters faced considerable hardship.
Iron tracks expand when the temperature rises, a phenomenon known as thermal expansion. The danger is greater at places where tracks have joints or cuts. Such expansion can create a serious risk of trains derailing.
Dr Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Central Railway, said several temporary arrangements have been made and several blocks taken over the past 15 days. According to him, such precautions are necessary to avoid technical problems caused by heat and to ensure passenger safety.
On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, emergency blocks were taken through the day in several sensitive stretches of Central Railway because of the rise in temperature.
At Byculla, track temperatures had risen, so a block of about 30 to 35 minutes was taken. Repairs were carried out here through successive blocks on the up and down lines so that traffic would not come to a complete halt.
Repair work was also taken up immediately in the afternoon on the down slow line at Parel station and on the Trans-Harbour line near Digha station.
In all, eight suburban services were affected by these blocks and technical works. Of these, five ran 20 to 25 minutes late, while three trains had to be diverted.
Commuters' difficulties were compounded because the railways did not make timely and proper announcements at stations and in moving trains. People learnt that the trains were running late only after reaching the platform. At Thane, Mulund, Bhandup, Ghatkopar and Kurla stations, office-goers faced heavy crowds. When already crowded trains arrived late, passengers struggled through their journeys.
The suburban service, called Mumbai's lifeline, is repeatedly being disrupted by changes in the weather. The administration thus faces a major challenge of maintaining punctuality along with passenger safety.
