Infrastructure upgrade alert: The Central Railway has requested that Mumbaikars “limit travel” during a 63-hour mega block starting at midnight on May 30. This extensive block is necessary for platform extension and widening works on the Mumbai network, which will impact local trains services and disrupt the schedules of many commuters. The work will occur at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and the Thane station, ending at 3:30 pm on Sunday, according to Central Railway.
Central Railway emphasized the need to minimize travel during this period in a post on X (formerly Twitter), urging passengers to travel only when absolutely necessary. Here are 10 key points about the mega block:
- Both local and long-distance train services will be affected. Commuters are advised to avoid travelling by local trains unless absolutely necessary.
- The 63-hour block for widening platforms 5 and 6 at Thane will begin at midnight on Thursday, while a 36-hour block for extending platforms 10 and 11 at CSMT will start at midnight on Friday.
- Rajneesh Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway’s Mumbai division, explained that platform widening will allow for facilities such as escalators or wider staircases for the Foot Over Bridge (FOB).
- 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. Several trains will be short-terminated or short-originated from stations like Wadala, Dadar, Thane, Pune, Panvel, and Nashik.
- Nila also requested that establishments allow their staff to work from home or use other means to reduce passenger numbers during these days.
- 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.
- 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.
- The Railway administration has asked passengers to bear with them for the inconvenience caused, stressing the long-term benefits of these upgrades.
- An official noted that platform construction typically takes six months, but for Thane, hollow pre-cast blocks are being used to expedite the process.
- 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.
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