Railways services will remain impacted at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) from Thursday night to Sunday afternoon as the Central Railways will carry out a 63-hour mega block for platform extension work on the network.
The block for the widening of platforms nos 5 and 6 (in Thane) began on Thursday midnight while the work related to the extension of platforms nos 10 and 11 (at CSMT) will be initiated from Friday midnight.
“A 63-hour mega block for the widening of platform nos 5 and 6 (in Thane) will start from Thursday midnight while a 36-hour block for the works related to the extension of platform nos 10 and 11 (at CSMT) will kick in from Friday midnight,” Rajneesh Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway’s Mumbai division, told a press conference on Wednesday.
As services of local as well as long-distance trains are expected to be affected during the block period, the railways have appealed to commuters to avoid travelling by local trains, if not necessary.
Schedule for The 63-hour Long Mega Block
BLOCK 1 – 63 hours Special Block at Thane (DN Fast line)
Work will be carried out from 12:30 am from Thursday midnight to 3:30 pm till Sunday afternoon.
- UP Slow Line: Kalva (including CSMT end crossovers) to Thane (including all crossovers)
- DN Fast Line: Thane (including all crossovers) to Kalva (including all crossovers)
- UP Fast Line: Kalva (including all crossovers) to Thane (including all crossovers).
BLOCK 2 – 36 hours Special Block at CSMT
The work will be carried out from 12:30 am on Friday to 12:30 pm on Sunday.
- UP and DOWN Harbour lines between CSMT (including) and Vadala Road (excluding),
- UP and DOWN slow lines between CSMT (including) and Byculla (excluding),
- UP and DOWN fast lines between CSMT (including) and Byculla (excluding)
Over 900 Local Trains Cancelled, 444 To Be Short Terminated
According to Central Railway, a total of 930 local train services, including 161 on Friday, 534 on Saturday and 235 on Sunday, will be cancelled during the mega block at CSMT and Thane.
The Railways will short-terminate 444 suburban services, including seven on Friday, 306 on Saturday and 131 on Sunday. A total of 446 local train services, including 307 on Saturday and 139 on Sunday, will originate from various stations.
The Railways has requested the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to operate extra buses for the convenience of passengers.
Why Are Platforms Being Widened at CSMT?
The mega block is being operated for platform extension and widening works at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and the Thane station.
According to Rajneesh Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway’s Mumbai division, once the platform breadth is widened, facilities like escalators or wider staircases for Foot Over Bridge (FOB) can be provided.
At CSMT, the length of platform nos 10 and 11 has been extended to accommodate 24-coach trains from the earlier 16 coaches.
While the extension-related work is already completed, the mega block will be operated mainly for carrying out non-interlocking (related to track changing points) works.
At Thane, platforms nos 5 and 6, which witness overcrowding due to the narrow width and operation of both mail/express and local trains, are being widened by 2-3 metres.
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