Mumbai: Railway announces 14-hr mega block on suburban network over weekend

The Central Railway has announced a 14-hour 'block' or stoppage of traffic between Thane and Diva stations in Thane district which will start little after Saturday midnight.

The purpose was to carry out "cut and connection of newly laid track and commissioning of crossovers," the CR said in a release on Wednesday. Several long distance trains and suburban locals will be cancelled, said a senior railway official.

The block was part of the work of 5th and 6th line project under the phase two of the ambitious Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-II), he said. After the block the existing DOWN fast line trains running via Parsik tunnel will be shifted on one of the two lines available via Kalva station, whereas the trains on the existing UP fast line will be shifted on another line via Kalva station after the next block. Presently, the number of daily suburban commuters is down due to the pandemic. But in normal times over 40 lakh commuters used to travel by more than 1,350 suburban services of the CR.