31st May to 2nd June: 930 Mumbai Locals, 72 Long-Distance Trains Cancelled
31st May to 2nd June: 930 Mumbai Locals, 72 Long-Distance Trains Cancelled
CR is set to undergo two major infrastructure upgrades over the weekend, starting with a 63-hour project at Thane followed by a 36-hour upgrade at CSMT.
30th May 2024
A heads-up for commuters: it is best to steer clear of Central Railway (CR) trains from Friday to Sunday due to significant cancellations. CR is set to undergo two major infrastructure upgrades over the weekend, starting with a 63-hour project at Thane followed by a 36-hour upgrade at CSMT. With at least 930 local trains and 72 long-distance trains being cancelled, CR, which serves 38 to 40 lakh daily commuters through its 1,810 daily services, urges citizens to utilise CR local trains only when absolutely essential.
During the 63-hour period, Thane will undergo platform 5/6 widening, while a 36-hour special block will be dedicated to non-interlocking (NI) works for extending Platform 10/11 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to accommodate 24-coach trains.
The 63-hour block at Thane will commence from 12:30 am on 31st May and conclude at 3:30 pm on 2nd June. This section will cover the UP Slow Line from Kalva (including CSMT end crossovers) to Thane (all crossovers), the DN Fast Line from Thane (all crossovers) to Kalva (all crossovers), and the UP Fast Line from Kalva (all crossovers) to Thane (all crossovers).
The 36-hour block at CSMT will begin at 12:30 am on 1st June and last until 12:30 pm on 2nd June. This will halt services between CSMT and Byculla, as well as CSMT-Vadala Rd, impacting UP and DOWN Harbour lines between CSMT (inclusive) and Vadala Road (exclusive); UP and DOWN slow lines between CSMT (inclusive) and Byculla (exclusive); and UP and DOWN fast lines between CSMT (inclusive) and Byculla (exclusive).
During the block period, Central Railway Mumbai division officials have stated that 930 suburban train services will be cancelled, with an additional 444 services being short-terminated.
In order to minimise inconvenience for commuters, CR officials have appealed to all establishments to permit their employees to work from home during the block period. Additionally, the CR has strongly encouraged individuals to refrain from travelling on these days unless it is absolutely essential. They emphasise that these blocks are crucial for infrastructure upgrades that will yield long-term benefits.
The permissions for this special block were granted on Wednesday evening by the rail ministry in Delhi. Typically, platform-widening projects span four to six months. However, at Thane, a new technology is being employed, allowing the work to be completed in less than three days.
To achieve this, a modular platform at Thane will be constructed using pre-cast blocks. These blocks will be positioned adjacent to the existing platform using cranes and then connected using concrete. Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relation Officer of Mumbai Division CR, mentioned that special wagon trains have been brought in from Pune’s Khadki for transporting these 750-metre long precast blocks. These blocks were fabricated at Mulund near the goods shed.
Phase 1 of the CSMT platform extension project entails extending platform number 10/11 (an island platform). For this, a 36-hour block has been scheduled to carry out non-interlocking work, which involves disconnecting points, signals, track circuits and other signalling equipment. The purpose of extending the CSMT platform is to accommodate 24-coach long-distance trains, which will particularly benefit intercity travellers commuting between Mumbai, Pune and Nashik.
