Traffic restored on Mumbai-Ahmedabad line 13 hours after goods train fire near Dahanu

As wagons of a goods train caught fire near Maharashtra’s Dahanu, officials said all traffic towards Mumbai and Ahmedabad have been halted and a few Mumbai and Ahmedabad bound trains cancelled after the power supply was turned off.

Traffic was restored on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad line nearly 13 hours after two wagons of a goods train caught fire near Dahanu in Maharashtra’s Palghar district late on Thursday night, officials said on Friday.

Two wagons of a goods train caught fire near Dahanu in Maharashtra’s Palghar district late on Thursday night. (Saurabh Raut/HT Photo)

Maintenance staff from Western Railway worked through the night to remove the charred wagons and repair the overhead equipment (OHE) cables, according to an official in Palghar.

The 15th and 16th wagons of the goods train carrying plastic granules from Surat to Uran in Raigad district, caught fire after the overhead wire snapped and fell on the moving train.

The incident occurred 6km from Vangaon station at around 10:45pm on Thursday and the power supply was turned off between Vangaon and Dahanu immediately after the fire.

The official said the fire, which was doused at around 2am on Friday, delayed ten long-distance express trains as they were stopped at various stations after the power was turned off.

The services in both up and down sections resumed at around 9:10am, officials said, and a probe has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the fire. Sources in the Western Railway said the cable melted due to heat.

All traffic towards Mumbai and Ahmedabad was halted and a few Mumbai and Ahmedabad bound cancelled after the power supply was turned off.

The Ahmedabad Passenger, Dahanu-Andheri local, Valsad Mumbai Passenger, Surat-Mumbai Flying Ranee, Dahanu Panvel and Boisar Diva shuttle were some of the trains which were cancelled.

Virar-Dahanu shuttle, Mumbai-Ahmedabad Passenger, Mumbai Surat Flying Ranee and Mumbai Valsad Passenger, Churchgate-Dahanu local were also cancelled.

A few long-distance trains were also delayed after the fire.