Central Railway has announced a series of night traffic and power blocks at Titwala for 15 days to carry out platform extension work aimed at allowing the station to accommodate 15-car suburban train rakes.
The overnight blocks, lasting nearly five to six hours daily, will begin from the night of August 28/29 and continue till September 1/2 in the first phase. The work will be carried out between 11.30 pm and 5.10 am every night.
Kalyan-Vasind Rail Section To Witness Disruptions
During the initial phase, traffic and power blocks will be implemented on both Up and Down North East lines between Kalyan and Vasind, except at crossover locations.
The maintenance work is expected to impact suburban as well as long-distance train operations. Central Railway has advised passengers to check schedules and plan their travel accordingly.
Long-Distance Trains Likely To Run Late
Several Mail and Express services will be regulated during the night blocks. The 11048 Gorakhpur-Dadar Express will be controlled at Vasind on August 28/29 and September 1/2, while it will be regulated at Atgaon on August 30/31.
Similarly, the 11044 Ballia-Dadar Express will be regulated at Atgaon on August 29/30 and at Vasind on August 31/September 1.
Other long-distance trains, including the 12102 Shalimar-LTT Jananeshwari Express, 18030 Shalimar-LTT Express, 12810 Howrah-CSMT Mail and 15181 Mau-LTT Express, are expected to reach destinations 10 to 20 minutes behind schedule.
Additional Mail, Express and holiday special trains may also be regulated or diverted depending on operational requirements.
Suburban Services Between Titwala And Kasara To Be Affected
During the block period, suburban services between Titwala and Kasara will remain suspended at night. Several CSMT-Titwala, CSMT-Kasara, Titwala-CSMT, Titwala-Thane and Asangaon-Thane services will be cancelled on August 28/29.
Some trains will also operate only on shorter routes. The CSMT-Asangaon local leaving CSMT at 8.56 pm will terminate at Titwala, while the Dombivli-CSMT and Kalyan-CSMT locals departing at 10 pm and 10.06 pm respectively will terminate at Thane.
Revised Local Train Timings
For passengers travelling on August 28/29 night, the last Kasara-bound local on the Down North East line will depart CSMT at 10.47 pm, while the last Titwala-bound service will leave at 11.16 pm.
The last CSMT-bound local from Kasara will depart at 10 pm. After completion of the block, the first Kasara-bound local will leave CSMT at 4.19 am, while the first CSMT-bound train will depart Kasara at 3.51 am and Titwala at 4.32 am.
From August 29/30 to September 1/2, all Titwala-bound suburban services will be extended up to Asangaon. Services that usually originate from Titwala will instead start from Asangaon during this period.
Central Railway said further details of blocks after September 1 would be announced separately. The railway administration stated that the work is essential for infrastructure upgrades and passenger safety, and requested commuters to cooperate and verify train timings before travelling.
Source: Mid-day
