Mumbai Local Train Alert: 35-Day Mega Block on Western Railway Begins Today
Mumbai: Over 650 to 700 train services will be canceled during a 35-Day Western Railway Mega Block beginning at the end of August, so commuters on the Western Line must prepare themselves for major inconveniences. The block is a part of the ongoing 2008 project to extend the sixth railway line between Goregaon and Kandivali.
According to an HT article, the 4.75 kilometer section would be under construction, but officials have promised that work will stop during the 10-day Ganeshotsav celebration.
Starting on the evening of August 27/28, the mega block will be completed over five weekends, primarily in 10-hour blocks at night.
Western Railway: During mega blocks, more over 130 cancellations per day are anticipated, mostly on weekends.
“We expect cancellations of 130-140 services per day during the five days of our scheduled 10-hour-long mega blocks at night, mostly on Saturdays,” a Western Railway (WR) official said. Weekday cancellations are expected to be lower because blocks will only be available for five hours at a time.
Depending on the day, the night block will usually start between 10 and 11 p.m. There won’t be any blocks done from September 7–17, with the possible exception of one on September 7 from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m.
The five 10-hour mega blocks are scheduled for the fifth, twelfth, sixteenth, twenty-third, and thirtyth days of the block, excluding the Ganpati holiday days.
Maintaining long-distance trains off the suburban rail network’s quick lines requires extending the sixth line to Borivali. WR finished the project’s initial phase on the Santacruz-Goregaon line in November of 2023. The Goregaon-Kandivali stretch is going to be improved by this extension, which is anticipated to be completed by December 2024.
Building of a New Rail Line at Malad: Tracks Repositioned to Improve Traffic Flow, Platform Constructed
On the west side of Malad station, additional rail lines and platforms have already been constructed by rail engineers. Tracks will be shifted to the east end using the cut-and-connect technique to make room for the sixth line.
Eventually, trains heading towards Virar will use this new rail route as the slow line, and the current lines will be rearranged to enhance traffic flow overall.
Slums and residential quarters for railway workers must also be removed in order to make room for the development, particularly along the Malad-Kandivali-Borivali route. Authorities have already leveled the land, installed tracks, and removed weeds and grass from the Goregaon-Malad section.
Project Information:
– ₹918 crore is the estimated price for the Mumbai Central-Borivali 5-6 lines.
– Borivali-Goregaon sixth line completion: December 2024
– Goregaon-Kandivali sixth line completion: August 2024
– Project Start: 2008
Although the temporary difficulty caused on by the ongoing construction, passengers will have a more effective rail network soon as the remaining work on the Kandivali-Borivali section is expected to be finished by December 2024.
