Mumbai: Dense fog conditions in north India continue to disrupt long-distance rail services, triggering a cascading impact on Mumbai’s suburban train network. On average, 30 to 40 long-distance trains on the Central Railway (CR) are arriving more than 30 minutes late each day, with some services delayed by as much as 500 minutes.
According to railway officials, the late arrivals are severely affecting the schedules and movement of local trains, particularly during peak rush hours, as delayed express services occupy track paths meant for suburban operations. As a result, schedules of express trains arriving in and departing from Mumbai have been thrown out of gear. During the morning and evening rush hours, over 42 express trains have been arriving late, forcing local services to run 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule, with a few being cancelled.
Railway officials said the situation has led to frequent track changes, especially on the busy Kalyan–Thane stretch. Earlier this week, the Madgaon Express reached Mumbai nearly six hours behind schedule. “These delays are beyond our control and have a direct impact on local train services during peak hours,” a CR official said. More than 42 express trains from across the country are delayed daily on CR, the effect of which has resulted in at least 14 suburban trains running significantly behind schedule, inconveniencing thousands of commuters.
Officials explained that the impact is most severe when express trains arrive late during peak hours, when tracks are already operating at full capacity. Priority is given to trains running on time, while delayed express services are accorded secondary priority. On the CSMT–Karjat and CSMT–Kasara routes, local trains generally operate at intervals of four to six minutes during peak hours, with CR running nearly 500 to 700 services, the highest congestion being between Kalyan and Thane. Delays during afternoon hours, however, have a comparatively limited impact.
To address overcrowding, CR plans to introduce additional 15-car services later this month. “We have received a new AC local train, which will soon replace a non-AC local. There are chances that this 12-car non-AC local could be divided into four 3-car and added to 12-car trains and converted into a 15-car train. However, this hasn’t been finalised yet,” said another CR official. Meanwhile, platform extension work is underway at several stations to accommodate longer rakes, particularly on the Thane–Kalyan slow line and further south towards CSMT.