Suburban trains, considered as the lifeline of Mumbai, were running late by at least 15-20 minutes due to the problem that occurred on the south-bound slow track between Diva and Mumbra railway stations in neighbouring Thane district at 4.55 am.

Swapnil Nila, Central Railways’ chief public relations officer, said the signal was set right at around 6 am, more than one hour after the snag developed.

Owing to the disruption, crowds swelled on the CR’s suburban trains and stations on the main line.

As a result, passengers faced hardships, a commuter activist told PTI.

The main line of the CR stretches from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai to Kasara in Thane, and to Khopoli and Karjat in Raigad district.

The Central Railway daily operates nearly 1,800 local services on its suburban railway network, the PTI report added.

More than 35 lakh commuters travel on the local trains daily on its main, harbour, trans-harbour and Belapur-Uran suburban corridors.

Interval between locals to be reduced from 3 to 2 mins

On Monday, Railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the interval between suburban locals in Mumbai will be reduced from the current 180 seconds (3 minutes) to 120 seconds (2 minutes).

Efforts are also underway to improve ventilation and air conditioning in local trains using technology similar to that used in Vande Bharat rakes, the minister added.