Central Railway will undertake a special traffic and power block between Kalyan and Vangani during the intervening night of June 27 and 28 to facilitate infrastructure work for the proposed third and fourth railway lines between Kalyan and Badlapur. The scheduled block is expected to affect suburban train operations, result in cancellations and diversions, and forms part of a long-term capacity enhancement programme on one of Mumbai’s busiest rail corridors.
The block has been planned to dismantle the “N” type truss at the south-east (Karjat end) of the Foot Over Bridge located between kilometre markers 57/18 and 57/22 using a road crane. The work will be carried out between 1:20 am and 3:50 am on June 28 on the Up and Down South-East lines between Kalyan and Vangani, excluding both stations.
The Kalyan–Badlapur section is a crucial stretch of Mumbai’s suburban railway network and also serves long-distance trains travelling towards Karjat and beyond. With passenger demand and rail traffic continuing to grow, the additional third and fourth lines are intended to separate suburban and outstation train operations, improve operational flexibility and enhance overall network capacity.
Central Railway said, “These blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway Administration for the inconvenience caused.”
During the block period, suburban train services between Kalyan and Karjat will remain suspended. Several local trains, including select CSMT–Badlapur, CSMT–Ambarnath, Badlapur–Thane and Ambarnath–CSMT services, will be cancelled. Some trains will also be short-terminated or short-originated. The last suburban train towards Karjat before the block will depart CSMT at 11:30 pm on June 27, while the first service after the block will leave Thane for Karjat at 5 am on June 28.
Several Mail and Express trains, including the Konark Express, Visakhapatnam–LTT Express, Hyderabad–CSMT Express and Hospete–CSMT Express, will be diverted via the Karjat–Panvel–Diva route and may arrive 10 to 20 minutes behind schedule. Depending on operational requirements, additional long-distance and special trains may also be diverted during the block period.
Source: Financial Express
