Mumbai's suburban train services were disrupted for several hours on Monday after a fire near Kanjurmarg station caused a signalling failure, leaving commuters stranded and prompting some passengers to walk along railway tracks. Three people were also found dead on railway tracks in separate locations, according to reports.
Two bodies were found along the Ghatkopar–Vikhroli stretch and were taken to Rajawadi Hospital, while another person was found dead in Bhandup. The available report did not establish a link between the deaths and the train disruption.
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The disruption began at around 10 am after a fire near Kanjurmarg station caused the signalling system between Thane and Vikhroli to fail. An earlier technical glitch involving an overhead wire between Mulund and Thane further compounded the situation.
Commuters travelling to work on the first day of the week were left waiting at stations as trains on the Central Railway network faced delays due to a lack of signal clearance for slow and fast services in both directions.
After waiting for hours with trains remaining stationary, some passengers climbed down onto the tracks and began walking towards the next station, exposing themselves to serious safety risks.
The railway administration began repair work to restore services. Replacing the damaged cables was expected to take around four hours, with normal operations potentially remaining affected until late at night.
The disruption came a day after Central Railway had conducted a scheduled mega block for maintenance. The back-to-back disruptions left passengers questioning how such a major technical failure could occur so soon after the maintenance work.
By Monday evening, officials confirmed that three of the four affected train lines had been restored and appealed to commuters not to walk on railway tracks.
The disruption also affected road traffic, with heavy congestion reported on the Eastern Express Highway as vehicles moved slowly and commuters sought alternative transport.
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