Mumbai: Suburban services on Central Railway were severely disrupted on Friday evening after a technical failure in the signalling system at Dombivli station, triggering chaos during the rush hour. Railway officials suspect cable damage, possibly due to theft, as the cause behind the disruption.The snag occurred around 7 pm, affecting the up and down local lines as well as the 5th and 6th lines, while the fast corridor (lines 3 and 4) remained unaffected. The failure led to a temporary halt of train movement between Thane and Kalyan, with several services held up mid-section and passengers stranded inside coaches, even as platforms witnessed heavy overcrowding.Central Railway’s technical teams rushed to the site soon after the fault was reported. Restoration was carried out in phases, with the down local line resuming at 8.58 pm, followed by the 5th line at 9.06 pm. The up local line was restored at 9.40 pm, while the 6th line resumed at 9.45 pm under single yellow line working. Officials said they also coordinated with respective civic bodies to operate special buses to ease commuter inconvenience during the disruption.The incident derailed schedules across the main line, impacting slow services in both directions and affecting trains bound for Kalyan, Kasara and Karjat. With services thrown off gear during peak hours, commuters were forced to travel in extremely crowded conditions, and the ripple effect of delays was felt late into the night.“Such breakdowns during peak hours test our patience. We were stuck inside the train for nearly an hour with no announcements or clarity on what was happening. Delays and disruptions have become routine, but it is the commuters who suffer every day,” said Ajit Rane Dombivli resident.
