Suburban rail to be shut for up to 72 hrs in December for line work

In order to complete the construction of the fifth and sixth railway lines between Thane and Diva railway stations, suburban rail may be shut in December

MUMBAI In order to complete the construction of the fifth and sixth railway lines between Thane and Diva railway stations, the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) and the Central Railway will undertake railway blocks starting from 18 hours to 72 hours on the city’s suburban railway network. The blocks are expected to be taken in December.

The railway blocks will be operated on different railway sections in December between Thane and Diva in order to commission the new railway lines (HT FIle)

The railway blocks will be operated on different railway sections between Thane and Diva in order to commission the new railway lines and undertake the remaining construction work. To undertake a major railway block of 72 hours, permission is required from the railway board; the apex body of all zonal railways.

“Discussions with the Central Railway on the block sections have been held and permissions have been sought,” said a senior MRVC official.

The Central Railway has stated that minimum inconvenience to passengers will be done and the state government will be asked to operate additional buses during the block periods.

“We have raised a few technical difficulties with the MRVC regarding the blocks. We are attempting to minimise passenger inconvenience,” said a Central Railway official.

The Central Railway in September took a 10-hour block between Kalwa and Mumbra railway stations for the construction work of the fifth and sixth railway lines.

The fifth and sixth railway lines project between Thane and Diva is a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP 2B), which got approval in 2008.

Once completed, the new railway lines will enable segregation of outstation and local trains on the Central Railway till Kalyan. 100 new local train services will be introduced between Central Railway mainline between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kalyan railway stations after the railway line is commissioned.