MUMBAI: A fire suspected to have been triggered by bursting of firecrackers damaged signalling cables between Virar and Nallasopara late on Sunday night, affecting seven signals and disrupting Western Railway services. The fire broke out around 11.20 pm on November 8 and was extinguished within 30 minutes.“Fourteen 12-core signalling cables and six six-quad cables were damaged in the incident. Seven signals were affected, resulting in the failure of multiple track circuits in the section,” a Western Railway official said.The affected signals included A689 on the UP through line, A686 and S-13 on the DOWN through line, A537 on the UP local line, S-11 and A534 on the DOWN local line, and S-19 on the siding. The cost of the damaged equipment is yet to be assessed, the official added.The signalling failure forced UP trains heading towards Mumbai to pass two signals as per prescribed rules, resulting in delays to suburban and long-distance services. On November 8, 14 suburban services were delayed, while on Monday, 35 services were cancelled and 150 delayed.Railway staff worked through the night to restore the signalling system. Additional cables were laid, and several signalling functions were progressively restored during Monday morning. Restoration records show that different signals and track circuits were brought back into operation between 1.38 am and 10.45 am.“Restoration work is in progress and additional cables have been laid. We expect the entire signalling system to be restored by Monday night,” the official said.The incident affected both suburban and long-distance train operations on the UP corridor, with railway officials monitoring the situation and working to normalise services.