Trouble ahead for Mumbai commuters: CR suspends CSMT-Dadar services for 7 hours today

Commuters travelling between Dadar station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus will be inconvenienced as the Central Railway will suspend local services for

Commuters travelling between Dadar station and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus will be inconvenienced as the Central Railway will suspend local services for at least seven hours starting 8.30am on Sunday.

The zonal railway has planned the special megablock for launching of pre-assembled foot overbridge (FOB) built by the army at Currey Road station and completing balance work of Parel FOB.

According to a CR release, the block will last till 3.30pm on slow line and 4.30pm on fast line. Long distance train services will also be suspended between CSMT and Dadar.

“Up (southward) suburban services to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus will be terminated at Dadar/Kurla and will run in the down (northward) direction from Dadar/Kurla during the block period. The services terminating /originating at Dadar, Kurla and Thane will run as per timetable,” stated the release.

The CR clarified that there would be no mega block on Harbour and Trans-harbour line on Sunday. Therefore, the railway authorities have allowed commuters with valid tickets or passes to travel via Harbour line between Kurla and CSMT.

The CR has also decided to cancel and re-schedule several long-distance trains on Sunday.

According to the release, the Kolhapur-CSMT Sahyadri Express and Nagpur–CSMT Sevagram Express will remain cancelled on Saturday. The CSMT-Pune-CSMT Sinhagad Express, CSMT-Manmad-CSMT Rajya Rani Express, CSMT-Pune-CSMT Deccan Queen Express, CSMT-Manmad-CSMT Panchavati Express, CSMT-Pune-CSMT Pragati Express, CSMT-Nagpur Sevagram Express and CSMT-Kolhapur Sahyadri Express will not ply on Sunday.

Railway minister Piyush Goyal had roped the army for building three FOBs at Currey Road, Parel and Ambivli stations, after the Elphinstone Road station stampede that claimed 23 lives and injured 39 last September. Bombay Sappers Group is building these FOBs, which are scheduled to open to the public on February 19 against the original deadline of January 31.