Nine-hour CR mega block adds to commuter woes

MUMBAI: The nine-hour-long block on the main corridor of the Central Railway (CR) delayed suburban services and caused many of them to be cancelled on Sunday. The

MUMBAI: The nine-hour-long block on the main corridor of the Central Railway (CR) delayed suburban services and caused many of them to be cancelled on Sunday. The extended block was undertaken for changing track alignment at Diva station.

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Commuters complained that the suburban services on CR were running 15-20 minutes late owing to the mega block, while trains on the WR were at least 10-15 minutes late. Owing to the delay, trains witnessed huge crowds, especially during peak hours.

“The trains were heavily crowded in the morning, owing to the mega block. The journey on the train between KalyanThane was horrible experience, ” said Abhijit Bhosale, a commuter.

Another Badalapur commuter said that trains were taking more time than normal to reach their destinations.

The CR conducted a nine-hour mega block for slewing the new alignment at Diva station. The work will allow CR to meet the long-pending demands of halting fast trains at Diva station.

Even the long-distance trains were affected owing to the ninehour block, while few trains were cancelled.

On the harbour line, the mega block was between Nerul and Mankhurd , because of which train services between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai were suspended for five hours. The WR, however, conducted a mega block on the fast corridors between Santacruz and Goregaon stations.

AC R spokesperson said there were few cancellations and diversions on the main line but they completed the working scheduled time. “After completion of work, trains on both the lines resumed as per scheduled time,” said AK Singh, spokesperson of CR.