Central Railway is considering opening part of a staff-only special local to regular commuters or cancelling the service after railway employees allegedly kept its coach doors locked during Monday’s disruption caused by a fire at Kanjurmarg, according to railway authorities cited by the Times of India.
The incident took place on the CSMT–Kalyan workmen special, which departs daily at 4.30pm and is reserved for railway employees. The fast service halts at Byculla, Parel, Matunga, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Thane and Dombivli. During Monday’s disruption, the coach doors were allegedly locked from inside after the train crossed Kurla.
When the train reached Thane, commuters waiting on the platform tried to board but were unable to enter. A video of the locked coaches later circulated widely on social media, prompting criticism as crowded platforms and a shortage of regular services left passengers struggling to travel home.
Central Railway is now weighing two options, with a decision expected after a meeting of senior officials. The first is to cancel the staff-only special permanently. The second is to operate it as a fast service exclusively for railway employees between CSMT and Matunga, before shifting it to the slow line from Matunga to Kalyan and allowing regular commuters to board on that stretch.
The proposed change would not immediately convert the entire service into a public local. It would preserve an employee-only section while potentially adding capacity for commuters on the Matunga–Kalyan portion, subject to the decision of senior railway officials.
The controversy unfolded during a wider failure of Mumbai’s suburban rail operations. A fire reported at 9.33am in the signalling relay room at Kanjurmarg left around 24 signals across all six lines between Vikhroli and Bhandup blank. Suburban services were severely disrupted for nearly nine hours.
Railway officials suspect excessive heat or an electrical fault may have caused the blaze, but the exact cause had not been established in the report. Signalling was restored in stages, with all affected lines operational by 7.35pm. Trains nevertheless continued to run 30 to 40 minutes late until late that evening. Although services were largely on time during Tuesday morning’s peak period, some afternoon trains remained delayed by 15 to 20 minutes.
The locked-coach video led commuters to question why a staff-only service continued to operate during a crisis when regular passengers were facing overcrowded trains, long waits and difficult boarding conditions. Several users also urged Central Railway and railway authorities to convert workmen specials into regular services during major disruptions.
The immediate administrative response is focused on the future of the CSMT–Kalyan special. Central Railway’s senior officials are expected to decide whether the service will be cancelled or partly opened to regular commuters after reviewing the incident and the operational requirements of the railway staff service.
