Mumbai: A fire that broke out beside the tracks between Nallasopara and Virar stations late on Sunday night damaged signalling equipment on the Western Railway's suburban network and disrupted train services through the Monday morning rush hour, officials said. The incident was reported at around 11.20 p.m. on November 8 in Palghar district, on the busy Virar–Churchgate corridor.

Source: Mirror Now

According to preliminary reports, the blaze was sparked by firecrackers set off during the Diwali festivities, and the heat damaged track circuits and signal wiring in the section. Track circuits are the electrical circuits that detect the presence of a train in a section and are essential to the safe working of the signalling system.

Trains run under restricted protocol

With the signalling equipment damaged, Western Railway operated Mumbai-bound (UP) trains under a restricted safety protocol under which drivers had to pass two signals manually. The precaution sharply reduced speeds through the section and set off a ripple of delays across the suburban network, affecting local services as well as several long-distance trains arriving in Mumbai.

Commuters travelling from Virar towards Churchgate reported trains running 15 to 40 minutes behind schedule during the morning peak, and some local services were cancelled. Reports put the disruption at around three hours, with crowded platforms as thousands of office-goers tried to reach Mumbai at the start of the work week.

Source: Mirror Now

11:20 p.m.Fire reported on Nov 8
2 signalsPassed manually under protocol
15–40 minDelays reported on locals

Repairs under way

Railway maintenance teams were deployed to repair the damaged cables and signalling equipment on an emergency basis. Services were gradually being restored, though officials said the backlog built up during the morning disruption continued to affect train frequency. No injuries were reported in the incident.

The Virar–Churchgate suburban corridor is one of the most heavily used commuter routes in the Mumbai region, and even a short signalling failure on a weekday morning affects lakhs of passengers. The incident came on a Diwali weekend in which fire services across the Mumbai region handled a heavy load of festival-related fire calls.