Mumbai local train services were brought to a standstill when two major technical snags hit the Central Railway (CR), delaying trains up to 90 minutes and forcing passengers to walk on the tracks to reach the next station. In the rush and confusion, three commuters reportedly died in separate track-crossing incidents at Bhandup and between Ghatkopar and Vikhroli.Commuters travelling on the Thane/Kalyan-Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) corridor faced delayed trains up to 90 minutes, overcrowding on platforms, and nearly four-hour-long journeys.The first snag on the Mumbai local trains occurred around 9.23 am on the stretch between Mulund and Thane, when a foreign object fell on the overhead equipment (OHE), causing an insulator on the down line towards CSMT to burst.Seven minutes later, at around 9.30 am, a suspected short circuit triggered a fire in the signalling relay room at Kanjurmarg station, rendering nearly 24 signals inoperative.The railway officials said the fire, initially confined to one wire, eventually spread. Efforts to extinguish it were delayed because the room was locked and its keys were unavailable. A preliminary assessment suggested that a sudden fluctuation in the power supply could have triggered the blaze.Railway sources have alleged that the relay room lacked a dedicated cooling system and relied on a limited number of exhaust fans, raising questions about the arrangement for regulating temperatures in the room.Central Railway has constituted an inquiry committee comprising senior officials to investigate the incident.Story continues below this ad“Preliminary investigation suggests that a spark could have triggered the flames, but the exact cause will be clear only after the report is received,” said Dr Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway.Separately, a shortage of motormen on the Harbour line between Panvel and CSMT resulted in delays of 15 to 20 minutes.Slowed trains, 90-min delay: Scenes after services were restoredWhen fire made the signals inoperative, local trains on the Vikhroli-Bhandup section and at Kanjurmarg were operated under special safety arrangements, using the emergency manual operating procedure involving A-board authority.The precautionary measures slowed train movements, with services delayed by 60 to 90 minutes.Story continues below this ad The Mumbai local train disruption affected nearly 70 suburban services and 15 mail and express trains on Monday, October 26. (Photo by Deepak Joshi)Railway authorities also imposed a 48-minute emergency power block on the Kurla-Kalyan section for its restoration.Fast services on the down and up lines were declared fit by 4.10 pm and 4.46 pm, respectively. Slow services resumed by 5.30 pm on the down line and 6.18 pm on the up line.The impact on Mumbai local train servicesThe disruption affected nearly 70 suburban services and 15 mail and express trains on Monday, October 26.Commuters reported prolonged halts near Ghatkopar and Vikhroli, while reduced train frequency led to overcrowding at CSMT, Ghatkopar, Kurla and Thane.Story continues below this adFor commuters travelling from Kalyan and beyond, journeys that typically take around 90 minutes to CSMT stretched beyond three hours.“I boarded a CSMT-bound train around 10.30 am, expecting to reach in 90 minutes. Instead, the train halted twice at Ghatkopar and again near Kurla for 30 minutes, lengthening the journey further,” a Thane commuter said.Despite the restoration of services by the evening, the disruption continued to have a cascading effect. Trains remained delayed by over an hour until 10.30 pm, with several cancellations.Commuters also complained of inadequate announcements by railway authorities and motormen, leaving passengers uncertain about arrivals and departures.Story continues below this adWhy do delays snowball on the suburban network?Central Railway operates 1,820 suburban services and ferries nearly 40 lakh commuters daily. During peak hours, a train towards Kalyan, Asangaon or Thane departs from CSMT roughly every three minutes. During non-peak hours, the interval increases to around 4.5 minutes.This tightly packed schedule leaves little room to absorb disruptions. With successive trains sharing tracks and operating at short intervals, delays to one service can quickly affect those behind it.“There is a headway of less than three minutes between successive trains travelling in the same direction on the same track of CR’s local network. A simultaneous delay of 70 trains leaves almost no time for recovery and for the schedule to catch up,” a senior railway official said.With Monday’s disruption, failures affected the entire interconnected network, with delays persisting well after the immediate technical problems had been addressed. The last such major disruption, although weather-related, occurred in August 2025, when heavy monsoon showers and waterlogging led to main line services being suspended for hours until further notice.