A sudden and intense fire broke out in garbage accumulated inside a drain between the Central Railway tracks on the Kalwa–Thane section, causing disruption to local train services. The incident occurred between Platform Number 1 and Platform Number 2, where waste lying in the drain caught fire, leading to smoke and operational difficulties. As a result, trains travelling from Kalwa towards Thane and those heading from Thane towards Kalyan and Dombivli were delayed by approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Preliminary information indicates that the fire in the drain was the primary reason for the temporary slowdown in railway movement on this busy suburban route.
Local train services on Mumbai’s Central line were running behind schedule on Friday evening, January 30, leading to significant inconvenience for thousands of commuters during peak hours. As per a post shared by a daily passenger on social media, suburban trains experienced unusual delays, with journey times extending well beyond their normal duration, adding to commuter frustration. “Local trains in Mumbai's Central line are running with extraordinary delay. It took me more than two hours to reach CSMT from Ambernath despite taking a fast local. Trains running with a delay of 45–50 minutes have become a new normal now,” the commuter wrote.
Many commuters voiced similar grievances on social media, citing extended waiting periods, severe overcrowding, and the absence of timely service updates. The problem intensified as the disruption unfolded during the evening rush hour, a time when lakhs of passengers return from Mumbai to suburbs such as Kalyan, Dombivli, Thane, and Mumbra. Despite mounting irritation among travellers, the Central Railway had not released any official explanation for the delays at the time of reporting. The lack of clear communication further heightened commuter anxiety. Mumbai’s local trains are the city’s backbone, ferrying over 70 lakh passengers daily. Repeated peak-hour disruptions disturb daily routines and undermine confidence in the suburban rail system.