Central Railway is considering opening its staff-only CSMT–Kalyan special local to regular commuters on part of its route or cancelling the service after a video showed passengers unable to enter locked coaches during Monday’s major suburban disruption caused by a fire at Kanjurmarg.
The decision is expected after a meeting of senior railway officials, railway authorities said. The staff-only fast local departs CSMT at 4.30pm every day and currently halts at Byculla, Parel, Matunga, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Thane and Dombivli.
During Monday’s disruption, the train’s coach doors were allegedly locked from inside after it crossed Kurla. When the special reached Thane, commuters waiting on the platform tried to board but could not enter the coaches. A video of the incident later circulated widely on social media as passengers faced crowded platforms and a shortage of regular services while trying to return home.
The incident prompted commuters to question why a workmen special continued to operate as regular suburban services were severely affected. Several users appealed to Central Railway, the Mumbai divisional railway manager and the Railway Ministry to convert staff-only services into regular trains during such disruptions. Others criticised the decision to run the service during a crisis when passengers were reportedly waiting for hours and travelling in heavily crowded trains.
Central Railway is examining two possible changes. Under one option, the staff-only special could be cancelled permanently. Under the other, it would operate as a fast service exclusively for railway employees between CSMT and Matunga, then run on the slow line from Matunga to Kalyan, allowing regular commuters to board on the latter stretch. Senior officials are expected to decide which arrangement should be adopted.
The controversy followed a fire at a signalling relay room at Kanjurmarg that disrupted suburban operations for nearly nine hours on Monday. The fire, reported at 9.33am, left about 24 signals across all six lines between Vikhroli and Bhandup blank. Services were restored in stages, with all affected lines operational by 7.35pm, although trains continued to run 30 to 40 minutes late later that evening.
Central Railway was also expected to conclude its inquiry into the cause of the fire on Wednesday. Railway officials suspect excessive heat or an electrical fault may have triggered the blaze, but the precise cause had not been established in the supplied report. Tuesday morning services were largely on time, though some afternoon trains remained delayed by 15 to 20 minutes.
