January 6, 2026: Western Railway (WR) has announced a 30-day traffic block on Mumbai’s Kandivali–Borivali section to facilitate the construction of the sixth railway line, a key capacity augmentation project on the busy suburban corridor. The block commenced on the night of December 20/21, 2025, and will remain in force until January 18, 2026, impacting both suburban services and select long-distance trains.
Providing details, Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of WR, said a major block is scheduled during the night of January 6/7, 2026, for critical infrastructure work. According to him, the block is required for the insertion of Point No 103 on the UP Fast Line at Kandivali. During this period, the UP Fast Line will be shut from midnight to 5.30 am, while the DOWN Fast Line will remain blocked between 1 am and 4.30 am.
Due to these blocks and the temporary suspension of the fifth line, several suburban services will be cancelled, while some Mail and Express trains will be regulated at intermediate stations. Western Railway has urged commuters to plan their journeys in advance, follow official updates, and cooperate during the construction phase aimed at improving long-term capacity and service reliability.
Meanwhile, WR has also rolled out a revised timetable for long-distance Mail, Express, MEMU and DEMU trains, which came into effect on January 1, 2026. Officials described the changes as a significant step towards enhancing punctuality and passenger convenience amid rising travel demand in the Mumbai region.
The Mumbai Central Division has seen notable gains under the new timetable. As many as 29 trains have been accelerated, resulting in a cumulative daily time saving of 157 minutes for passengers. Of these, eight departing trains account for a 72-minute saving, while 21 arriving trains save 85 minutes.
Operational adjustments have also been made at major terminals. Owing to platform blocks for construction, trains 12925/12926 and 12903/12904 have been shifted from Mumbai Central to Bandra Terminus. In addition, train 22209/22210 will now terminate at Nizamuddin instead of New Delhi. Railway officials said these measures were implemented to ensure smoother operations while keeping passenger inconvenience to a minimum during ongoing infrastructure upgrades.
Source: Mid-day
