Harbour line mega block ends 2 hrs late; trains delayed, platforms clogged

Rail officials admitted that the work took longer than expected, pushing the reopening of the line by nearly two hours. Officials added that the delay began when clearances for the block were issued late on Saturday, causing work to start behind schedule

MUMBAI: Harbour line services were disrupted for several hours on Sunday after the weekend’s 12-hour mega block between Panvel and Belapur was extended by a couple of hours, delaying morning trains on the CSMT–Panvel route.

The overnight block, planned from 11:45pm on Saturday to 11:45am on Sunday, was to facilitate the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation’s (MRVC) work on the upcoming suburban corridor connecting Panvel and Karjat. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The overnight block, planned from 11:45pm on Saturday to 11:45am on Sunday, was to facilitate the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation’s (MRVC) work on the upcoming suburban corridor connecting Panvel and Karjat.

Rail officials said they had to dismantle and shift tracks and on platform 2 of the Panvel station they also had to insert railway turnouts which enable trains to move from one track to another. As per MRVC officials the purpose of the repair work was to extend the platforms by another 90m to facilitate the upcoming Panvel-Karjat corridor.

Rail officials admitted that the work took longer than expected, pushing the reopening of the line by nearly two hours, also known as a ‘block burst’ in railway lingo. However, officials added that the delay began when clearances for the block were issued late on Saturday, causing work to start behind schedule.

During the block, with the tracks dismantled, suburban trains could not run between Belapur and Panvel stations, and were terminated at Belapur, Nerul, or Vashi stations. Due to this at least 16 services were cancelled.

The Panvel–Karjat new suburban rail corridor, being built under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) phase 3 at a cost of ₹2,782 crore, is nearly 80% complete. Once ready, it is expected to improve connectivity across Navi Mumbai and Raigad, ease the stress on the existing suburban rail network and cut travel time on the CSMT–Karjat route by around 20 minutes.