Mumbai rail services disrupted by midnight fire

MUMBAI: Thousands of commuters were stranded at the Central Railway (CR) stations after a midnight fire in a signal cabin.

It will take three to four days to fully restore the traffic, a CR spokesperson said adding that services on the Harbour line were also hampered.

Only 70 per cent of the normal suburban services would be operated today, he said, adding that 4 long distance trains coming from Pune and Manmad have been cancelled.

"There was a fire in the signal cabin between Kurla and Vidyavihar stations at midnight and there was heavy damage to signalling gears," the spokesperson said.

The fire was brought under control within half an hour by fire brigade personnel.

Trains services resumed partially at 3.30 am today, but the trains were running over half an hour late. Railways have allowed CR suburban commuters to use their season pass on the Mahim-Churchgate route on Western line, he said.

Similarly, CR suburban commuters can board long distance trains at Kalyan and Kasara till CST using their pass, he added.

Around 38 lakh people commute on the Central Railway suburban network daily.