Mumbai local train updates: WR services to take hit for new line work

Railway officials say the work has been planned in a way that will cause minimum inconvenience to commuters. Representation pic

The dense Mumbai suburban railway network, where every inch of the corridor and every second of a commuter matter, is getting a brand new 4.5 km stretch of rail line on Western Railway (WR) between Goregaon and Kandivli in a month's time. However, WR commuters will have to bear a 35-day block to get this benefit. A large number of cancellations and train reschedules are expected during the 35-day period, mostly on weekends and late nights on weekdays. The work is expected to begin from August 27-28 midnight.

Cancellations

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"As per the plan, there will be approximately 130-140 cancellations and 40-50 short terminations during mega blocks (five Saturday/Sunday nights). On weekdays, there will mostly be no cancellations for the major part of the 35-day work. During the fag end, 70-80 cancellations and approximately 60-70 short terminations are expected. We have made every effort to minimise cancellations. We seek our commuters' cooperation during this infra upgradation effort," WR's Chief Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek said.

"We have planned a meticulous 35-day block and it will be taken only during the weekends and late night hours to minimise the effect on working trains. We have also bypassed the crucial Ganapati festival days to avoid inconvenience," he said, adding that once the line is ready and connected by September, it will be supervised by the commissioner of rail safety and certified around October. The line will be open for public use soon after.

What is being done

"The macro idea is to have a fifth and sixth line from Bandra Terminus all the way to Borivli. This will be the mail/express train national corridor, segregated from the Mumbai suburban corridor. At present, the fifth line is in place which is used as a bidirectional line. The sixth line is being built now. As of today, work on the sixth line has been completed on a 9-km stretch from Bandra Terminus to Goregaon. The second important phase of the sixth line from Goregaon to Kandivli is also done, the new 4.5-km line is ready. But now, we need to cut and connect it to the existing network," a WR spokesperson said.

The official explained that once the connection is done, the final phase of the line between Kandivli and Borivli will be taken up.

The city's congested rail network had last time got an additional track of about 9 km between Khar and Goregaon in the middle of its suburban network on November 5, 2023.

Benefits

Another official said that the project will greatly benefit passengers, especially commuters of the Mumbai suburban section. "It will provide a huge respite to Mumbaikars by allowing additional train services in future. The project will enhance the line capacity of the Mumbai suburban section, help ease congestion, improve punctuality and help add more train services."

35
No. of days to complete the work