Brace for chaos as 2,525 WR local trains to be cancelled for a week

Starting Friday, more than 250 suburban train services will be cancelled every day on Mumbai's Western Railway for a week due to construction work on the Bandra Terminus-Goregaon route. The number of cancellations has been reduced from 2,700 to 2,525. The work will be completed by November 3 and will help to improve punctuality and enable additional train services in the future. The cancellation of services will also affect long-distance trains and the Mumbai Metro.

Mumbai: Starting Friday, local trains on Western Railway (WR) will be severely affected for a week, as more than 250 suburban train services are set to be cancelled every day until November 3 in order for the railways to complete work on the sixth line on the Bandra Terminus-Goregaon route.

Thane, India - June 09, 2022: Commuters have a harrowing time getting into a crowded suburban local train at Kalwa railway station, in Thane, Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 09, 2022. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The work on the sixth line will require a huge cancellation of trains from October 27 to November 6. The good news is that the number has come down marginally: While 2,700 local train services were to be cancelled in this 11-day period, the number has come down to 2,525.

“We are on a mission to fast-track the work of the sixth line between Khar and Goregaon,” said Sumit Thakur, chief PRO, WR. “The construction of the 8.8-km additional line is progressing at a fast pace. The project will benefit passengers, especially Mumbai local commuters. It will help to improve punctuality as well as enable augmentation of additional train services in the near future.”

11-day work between Goregaon and Santacruz

During the 11 days of work, the highest number of cancellations will be on October 30 with 326 services while the least cancellations will be on November 6 with 20 services. As per the initial schedule, WR authorities had proposed cancelling anywhere between 100 and 400 train services during this period.

This work will begin on the night of October 26-27 with Friday bearing the major burden of 256 train cancellations. The planned schedule of train operations states that on October 30, of the total 1,394 services that WR operates every day, 326 services will be dropped.

The block for non-interlocking of rail tracks for the sixth rail line has been under way since October 7. According to sources, next week will be crucial since they will be getting into the minutest of technical works in connecting the two new rail lines with the rail yard and Bandra Terminus.

Between October 30 and November 3, WR authorities have proposed to cancel 1,548 services, which accounts for over 61 percent of total services. After that, finishing works and inspection of the newly added infrastructure will take place till November 6, for which 201 services are scheduled to be cancelled.

In sum, 1,271 train services going towards Borivali/Virar and 1,254 train services to Churchgate will be cancelled. Several trains will also be delayed by an average of 15 to 20 minutes during this period. WR will cancel 43 long-distance trains and short-terminate 188 trains from October 26 to November 7. These are the trains going to and from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and also within Maharashtra.

Two new rail lines for Mumbai

This is the first phase of one of the most long-drawn-out rail projects—the addition of Lines 5 and 6—that was first announced in 2008. The second phase includes taking these two rail lines all the way up to Mumbai Central. The work, once complete, will make way for separate rail lines for long-distance trains and suburban trains between Bandra Terminus and Goregaon on WR.

“There is something called cut-and-connect of rail tracks and other critical works, which will allow us to link rail lines and the signalling system with existing lines. This work is crucial for improving the punctuality of local trains and will provide scope for adding more train services in future,” said a WR official.

The WR operation will place an additional strain on Metro 2A & 7 on the Dahisar-Andheri route where Western Railway runs parallely. “Currently, we have not received any official updates from the railways regarding this matter,” said Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, chairman and managing director, Maha Mumbai Metro. “However, if there is a need, the existing Metro services have the capacity to accommodate more passengers. We will closely assess the crowd situation and make informed decisions to provide additional services if necessary.”

The BEST Undertaking is already struggling, as its fleet has come down to 2,950 buses and this will put more pressure on it. The BEST officials did not provide details of their plan of action.