63-Hour Mega Block by Central Railway to Affect Mumbai's Train Services

The Central Railway has announced a significant operational update that will impact Mumbai's local train network, the city's primary mode of public transportation. Starting from May 30 at midnight, a 63-hour mega block will be initiated to facilitate platform extension works. This extensive block is set to disrupt both local and long-distance train services, affecting the daily commute of lakhs of Mumbai residents.

Officials have advised commuters to seek alternative modes of transport during this period unless absolutely necessary. The focus of the block is to extend and widen platforms at two key stations: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in South Mumbai and Thane station. Rajneesh Goyal, Divisional Railway Manager of Central Railways Mumbai division, highlighted that the work includes a 36-hour block for extending platforms 10 and 11 at CSMT starting Friday midnight, and a 63-hour block for widening platforms 5 and 6 at Thane beginning Thursday midnight.

The enhancements aim to accommodate escalators or wider staircases for foot over bridges (FOBs), improving passenger flow and safety. Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of Central Railways, revealed that a total of 72 mail-express trains and 956 suburban trains on the main and Harbour corridors would be cancelled from Friday to Sunday. Additionally, several trains will be short-terminated or originate from stations such as Wadala, Dadar, Thane, Pune, Panvel, and Nashik.

Nila also requested local establishments to consider remote working arrangements to minimize commuter traffic during this period. To aid passengers affected by the service disruptions, Central Railway has coordinated with the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to run extra bus services.

The block is scheduled to conclude at 3:30 pm on Sunday. At CSMT, platforms 10 and 11 have been extended to accommodate trains with up to 24 coaches, an increase from the previous capacity of 16 coaches. The primary focus of the mega block at CSMT will be non-interlocking works related to track changing points.

In Thane, platforms 5 and 6 are being widened by 2-3 metres to alleviate overcrowding issues. These platforms are crucial for both local and long-distance trains. Despite the initial announcement of cancelling 956 local train services, Central Railway later adjusted this figure, deciding to operate 26 services during the block period.

Central Railway has emphasized that these blocks are crucial for infrastructure enhancement and will offer long-term benefits despite the temporary inconvenience. Goyal also mentioned nearing completion of a double-discharge facility on platforms 10 and 11 at Dadar station, aiming to finalize this within the next two days.

Central Railway operates over 1,800 local train services daily across four corridors—Main, Harbour, Trans-Harbour, and Uran—catering to more than 30 lakh commuters. The platform widening work at Thane station, which would typically take three to six months under normal circumstances, is being expedited through the use of new technology. Hollow pre-cast blocks will enable completion in less than three days—a significant reduction from the usual construction timeline.

The Thane station platforms undergoing widening are primarily used by fast suburban local and long-distance trains. This effort aims to manage crowd control on FOBs and platforms effectively. To facilitate this rapid construction method, Central Railway will transport 785 RCC boxes weighing two tonnes each using wagons typically reserved for army tanks. Following track and overhead equipment adjustments, these precast RCC boxes will be placed and filled with construction material in an operation that DRM Goyal noted took approximately five minutes per box during trials.