Mumbai train services to be hit as 27-hour mega block begins today; Know affected routes & other details
The movement of long-distance and local trains in Mumbai will be affected as the Central Railway gears up for a 27-hour mega block from Saturday night for the last leg of the demolition of the dilapidated British-era Carnac Bridge between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Masjid Bunder on the suburban line.
FollowIn order to demolish the British-era Carnac Bridge connecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Masjid Bunder station in south Mumbai, the Central Railway (CR) will carry out a 27-hour massive block beginning on Saturday night. According to a CR news release, the mega block will last from 11 pm on November 19 until 2 am on November 21, which will have an impact on suburban and express train schedules during that time.
More than 37 lakh daily local rail commuters as well as outstation train passengers are anticipated to be impacted by the special block. The "Harbour" and "Main" lines of the Central Railway's Mumbai suburban network, which depart from CSMT in south Mumbai, provide more than 1,800 local train trips.
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The bridge, which was constructed in 1866–1867, was deemed hazardous in 2018 by a team of experts from the Indian Institute of Technology–Bombay (IITB), despite the fact that heavy vehicle traffic on it has already been halted since 2014, according to railway authorities.
The block will be used to demolish the Carnac Bridge, which was designated hazardous for road traffic in September of this year, according to the CR's press statement. According to the officials, a sizable piece of the iron bridge has already been destroyed. Therefore, only the iron structure of the railway over bridge (ROB) will be cut during the block, and it will be lifted out of the way using road cranes.
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Anil Kumar Lahoti, the general manager of CR, Rajnish Kumar Goyal, the divisional railway manager, and other top officials examined the demolition work on Friday and provided the appropriate directions.
The block will be run between CSMT and Byculla stations on the Main line of the CR route (CSMT to Kasara/Khopoli) for 17 hours.  It means no train will run between the CSMT and Byculla station till 4 pm on November 20 from 11 pm on Saturday, the release said.
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The report also stated that the Mail-Express Yard lines will become accessible after 27 hours, or at 2 am on November 21. Suburban trains would run during the block time from Byculla, Parel, Dadar, and Kurla stations in the direction of Thane, Kalyan, Kasara, and Karjat side and vice versa, while services on the Harbour line will run between Vadala and Panvel-Goregaon stations, it stated.
(With PTI inputs)
