Central Railway to run mega block on Main and Harbour lines this Sunday, November 8

Suburban rail users in Mumbai will have to rework their Sunday plans. Central Railway will shut stretches of the Main line and the Harbour line on Sunday, November 8, for essential engineering and maintenance work. The Mumbai division will carry out the work between Matunga and Mulund on the Main line, and between Panvel and Vashi on the Harbour line. The railway announced the programme in a release on Thursday and has advised commuters to check the timetable before leaving home on Sunday morning.

On the Main line, both the up and down slow lines between Matunga and Mulund will be blocked from 11.05 am to 3.55 pm. Down slow locals that leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) between 10.14 am and 3.32 pm will be moved to the down fast line for the Matunga to Mulund section. They will halt at Sion, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup and Mulund, and will return to the slow line at Mulund. These trains will get to their destinations roughly 15 minutes behind schedule.

The same arrangement will apply in the other direction. Up slow locals that leave Thane between 11.07 am and 3.51 pm will be put on the up fast line at Mulund and will run on it up to Matunga, stopping at Mulund, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Kurla and Sion. At Matunga they will go back to the up slow line, and they too will be about 15 minutes late. Beyond these diverted services, every up and down local that starts from or terminates at CSMT between 11 am and 5 pm can expect a delay of around 15 minutes.

The Harbour line will see heavier disruption. Both up and down lines between Panvel and Vashi will be blocked from 11.05 am to 4.05 pm, though the PORT line is outside the block. Up Harbour locals from Panvel towards CSMT will not run between 10.33 am and 3.49 pm. Down Harbour locals from CSMT towards Belapur and Panvel are cancelled between 9.45 am and 3.12 pm.

The Trans-Harbour line is also hit. Up services from Panvel towards Thane are cancelled from 11.02 am to 3.53 pm, while down services from Thane towards Panvel will not operate between 10.01 am and 3.20 pm.

To cushion the impact, Central Railway will run special locals on the CSMT to Vashi section while the block lasts. Trans-Harbour locals connecting Thane with Vashi or Nerul will keep running, and PORT line services will also continue as usual.

The railway has said such blocks are needed to maintain its infrastructure and keep passengers safe. It has asked commuters to cooperate with the administration despite the inconvenience.