Central Railway’s 63-Hour Mega Block to Affect Mumbai Trains

Infrastructure upgrade alert: The Central Railway has issued an advisory urging Mumbaikars to limit their travel due to a significant 63-hour mega block starting from midnight on May 30. This block is necessary for platform extension and widening works on the Mumbai network, which will impact the services of local trains and disrupt the schedules of many commuters. The work, taking place at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and the Thane station, is set to conclude at 3:30 pm on Sunday, according to a statement from Central Railway.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the Central Railway emphasized the importance of minimizing travel during this period. “We strive to minimize cancellations and request passengers to limit travel, emphasizing the necessity of travelling only when it is truly unavoidable,” the statement read. Here are 10 key points about the mega block:

1. Both local and long-distance train services will be affected. Commuters are advised to avoid travelling by local trains unless absolutely necessary.
2. The 63-hour mega block involves widening platforms 5 and 6 at Thane, starting from Thursday midnight. Additionally, a 36-hour block for extending platforms 10 and 11 at CSMT will commence from Friday midnight.
3. Rajneesh Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway’s Mumbai division, explained that the platform widening will allow for facilities such as escalators or wider staircases for the Foot Over Bridge (FOB).
4. Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer for Central Railway, announced that 72 mail-express trains and 956 suburban trains on the main and Harbour corridors will be canceled from Friday to Sunday. Many trains will be short-terminated or short-originated from stations like Wadala, Dadar, Thane, Pune, Panvel, and Nashik.
5. Nila also requested that establishments allow their staff to work from home or use other means to reduce passenger numbers during these days.
6. The Central Railway has asked Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to run extra buses for passenger convenience.
7. At CSMT, platforms 10 and 11 have been extended to accommodate 24-coach trains, up from the previous 16 coaches. While the extension work is complete, the block is necessary for non-interlocking work related to track changes.
8. The Railway administration has asked passengers to bear with them for the inconvenience caused, stressing the long-term benefits of these upgrades.
9. An official noted that platform construction typically takes six months, but for Thane, hollow pre-cast blocks are being used to expedite the process.
10. BEST has announced plans to run 254 extra services on nine routes with 43 additional buses during the mega block period, according to a late Thursday evening release.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/railways/central-railways-63-hour-mega-block-to-affect-mumbai-local-train-services/articleshow/110542440.cms?from=mdr

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