Over 900 local trains in Mumbai to be affected due to Railway's mega block (2024)

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.

Over 900 local trains in Mumbai to be affected due to Railway's mega block (1)

A total of 72 mail-express trains and 956 suburban trains on the main and Harbour corridors will remain cancelled from Friday to Sunday.(Representative photo)

Press Trust of India

Mumbai,UPDATED: May 30, 2024 11:56 IST

The Central Railway will operate a 63-hour mega block from May 30 midnight for platform extension works on the Mumbai network, a move that will affect the services of local trains, the lifeline of the city, and the work schedule of lakhs of commuters.

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.

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The mega block will be operated for platform extension and widening works at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and the Thane station.

"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.

He said once the platform breadth is widened, facilities like escalators or wider staircases for Foot Over Bridge (FOB) can be provided.

Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of Central Railways, said a total of 72 mail-express trains and 956 suburban trains on the main and Harbour corridors will remain cancelled from Friday to Sunday.

Several mail-express and suburban trains will be short-terminated and short-originated from Wadala, Dadar, Thane, Pune, Panvel and Nashik stations.

"There will be unavoidable cancellation of suburban trains. Hence, we request all the establishments to allow your staff to work from home or any other means possible to reduce the number of passengers on these days," Nila said.

He said 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.

The block for the works related to the extension of platforms at CSMT and widening of platforms at Thane station will end at 3.30 pm on Sunday, as per a Central Railway release.

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.

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.

Initially, the railways had announced cancellation of 956 local train services but later it decided to operate 26 services.

During the block period, Central Railway will short-terminate and short-originate local as well as long-distance trains from Dadar, Thane, Wadala, Nasik and Panvel stations.

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.

"These blocks are essential for infrastructure upgradation and long-term benefits. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway administration for the inconvenience caused," the CR said.

Goyal said the CR has also almost completed the work for providing a double-discharge facility on platforms 10 and 11 of the busy Dadar station and planning to finish the pending work in the next two days.

The Centra Railway operates more than 1,800 local train services on its four corridors- Main, Harbour, Trans-Harbour, and Uran, every day, which are used by more than 30 lakh commuters.

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The platform widening work at Thane station would have taken three to six months in normal course, Central Railway officials said.

The CR is adopting a new technology which will enable it to complete the work in less than three days.

"Usually it takes six months for the construction of a platform and if done very fast, at least three months. That is not possible in Thane's case and hence we are using hollow pre-cast blocks," an official said.

The platforms at the Thane station are mainly used for fast suburban local and long-distance trains. Hence, the widening work will be carried out on the DOWN fast line (towards Kalyan) and UP line (towards CSMT).

"The widening of platforms is important as a measure to control crowds on FOBs and platforms at Thane station," chief PRO Swapnil Nila said.

"We will be carrying 785 RCC boxes weighing two tonnes each to the platforms. These will be loaded on wagons that are usually used to ferry army tanks," said a CR official.

During the mega block, the tracks and overhead equipment will be shifted. Thereafter, precast RCC boxes will be placed and filled with construction material.

"We conducted a trial for laying this and it took around five minutes per RCC box," DRM Goyal said.

Published By:

Akhilesh Nagari

Published On:

May 30, 2024

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Over 900 local trains in Mumbai to be affected due to Railway's mega block (2024)

FAQs

What is mega block in Mumbai local? ›

The mega block began at midnight on May 30-31 (Thursday-Friday night). The platform widening project involved the use of 750 pre-cast hollow blocks and required the coordination of 400 workers, 20 teams and 10 contractors, a CR official said.

From when will mega block start? ›

The Central Railway has announced a 63-hour mega block that will commence at midnight on May 30, which will cancel 930 local trains. This mega block will facilitate platform extension and widening projects at two important stations: Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai and Thane station.

What are the problems faced by local train commuters in Mumbai? ›

Overcrowding, accidents, platform height, insufficient facilities are few among the many challenges faced by the commuters. aspects of Mumbai local train station platform.

How many local trains are there in Mumbai? ›

Approximately 1800 local trains run daily across Mumbai's four corridors: Main, Harbour, Trans-Harbour, and Uran, catering to over 30 lakh commuters.

How long is a mega block? ›

All Mega Bloks are engineered to fit together securely and come apart easily to ensure unobstructed creative expression. Most of the pieces are standard rectangles measuring 2.5 inches in length or squares measuring 1.25 inches - in red, blue, green, black, yellow and purple.

What is the difference between mega block and jumbo block? ›

The Central Railway will carry out the Sunday mega block on Central and Transharbour lines. A five-hour jumbo block will be conducted on Western line by the Western Railway. Check out more details about the mega block below.

When did mega block come out? ›

Our story starts all the way back in the 60's, but it wasn't until 1985 that we launched our big building blocks. Designed specifically for toddlers, we were the first brand to create construction toys for toddlers.

What comes after mega blocks? ›

Duplo is a form of Lego and is the next step up from megabloks.

What age do kids play with mega blocks? ›

Easy-to-grip and easy-to-stack blocks that develop imagination and gross motor skills for toddlers aged 1-3.

What are the interesting facts about Mumbai local trains? ›

Here are 15 astonishing facts about Mumbai's local trains that you should know of:
  • Part of a Rich Legacy. ...
  • Size of the Rail Network. ...
  • Scale of Train Services. ...
  • Managing the Impossible. ...
  • No Down Time. ...
  • The Local Network Includes 4 Corridors. ...
  • Remarkable Frequency. ...
  • Seating in Locals.
Jul 7, 2016

How many people travel in local train in Mumbai everyday? ›

Spread over 390 kilometres (240 mi), the suburban railway operates 2,342 train services and carries more than 7.5 million commuters daily.

Why is Mumbai local train famous? ›

Mumbai's local train system is the lifeline of the city, connecting millions of people every day. With three main lines – Western, Central, and Harbour – and numerous stations, it can be overwhelming for newcomers to navigate.

What is the difference between local train and metro in Mumbai? ›

While the metros only operate on electricity, local trains also have the option of using diesel as fuel besides electricity. The passenger intake capacity of local trains is much greater when we compare it to the average occupancy of metro trains at any time of the day.

What is the speed of local train in Mumbai? ›

These works have enabled CR to run trains on these sections at a speed of 130 kmph. In addition, speed has also increased from 75 kmph to 110 kmph on the Puntamba-Shirdi section of 17kms and from 65 kmph to 90 kmph on the Badnera-Amravati section of 9 kms. Jalamb-Khamgaon section of 12 kms from 60 kmph to 90 kmph.

Which is the biggest railway station in Mumbai? ›

The transformation of India's largest railway station, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in Mumbai, renowned for its neo-Gothic architecture, will be carried out by teams from SYSTRA India. The Chhatrapati Shivaji station has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2004.

Is Mega Blocks still a thing? ›

Mega Brands Inc.

(formerly Mega Bloks Inc. and Ritvik Holdings) is a Canadian children's toy company that is currently a wholly owned subsidiary of Mattel.

What are the three local lines in Mumbai? ›

Mumbai's local train system is the lifeline of the city, connecting millions of people every day. With three main lines – Western, Central, and Harbour – and numerous stations, it can be overwhelming for newcomers to navigate.

For which industry is Mumbai called a mega city of the world? ›

It is considered the de facto financial capital of the country and is home to the Hindi film industry or Bollywood. The megacity is the second largest in India and accounts for the highest number of millionaires in the country.

What is the meaning of suburban railway in Mumbai? ›

The Mumbai Suburban Railway (Marathi: मुंबई उपनगरीय रेल्वे, romanized: Mumbaī Upanagarīya Relve) (colloquially called local trains or simply locals) consists of exclusive inner suburban railway lines augmented by commuter rail on main lines serving outlying suburbs to serve the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

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