MUMBAI: Rail traffic on the Mumbai-Gujarat route was disrupted for nearly 10 hours after a major fire broke out in two wagons of a goods train Thursday night. Train services were restored Friday morning.The incident on the 45-container-long train, headed toward JNPT, occurred between Dahanu Road and Vangaon around 10.30 pm on the Mumbai-bound line. However, the Gujarat-bound line was closed for traffic as a safety measure.The Gujarat-bound line was opened at 1.30 am and Mumbai-bound train services were resumed at 8.50 am.Western Railway’s chief public relations officer Ravinder Bhakar said, “The fire was reported in containers 22 and 23. The Fire Brigade was immediately alerted, but firemen could not access the accident site as the area around was slushy.”Later, an Accident Relief Train (ART) was called in from Valsad and a diesel locomotive was deployed from Virar. Senior officials, including WR general manager AK Gupta, rushed to the site to oversee restoration work.Since firemen could not reach the site, station officials, including peons, walked from Vangaon and Dahanu Road station with fire extinguishers in hand to control the blaze.Sources said brake-binding might have caused the fire, though some officials felt crackers may have been the cause. However, a senior official ruled out the firecracker theory. He said the fire seems to have erupted from underneath the coach as the bases of the wagons were badly damaged.The wagons contained nitrogen oxide (non-inflammable) which leaked and solidified on the tracks. The heat resulted in melting of overhead equipment (OHE) and cables. The mast, too, got damaged.With several train schedules thrown out of gear, passengers had a tough time and several complained there were no proper announcements either.Rajan Shah, who was travelling with his family on the Gandhidham Express on Thursday, said, “We were told the train, scheduled to depart at 11.55 pm, would depart at 2.35 am (Friday) from Bandra Terminus.” The train finally left at 11.30 am on Friday. Many passengers missed connecting trains. A group travelling by Vadodara Express lost a connecting train for Goa from Dadar.Several trains were diverted via Kalyan and Jalgaon. Some trains were terminated at Surat, Vapi and Valsad.

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