Mumbai: Railways announces 27-hour MEGA BLOCK; locals, long-distance trains to be disrupted from November 19

Alert commuters! Mumbai locals trains and long-distance train services will be disrupted from November 19-21 between  Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Byculla stations. This announcement comes as Indian Railways’ Central Railways plans a 27-hour-long mega block at its main line. The mega block is being taken to dismantle a road over bridge (ROB) which connects Muhammad Ali road with P D'melo Road called Carnac bridge. 18 pairs of long-distance trains have been cancelled during this mega block and 67 trains are short-terminated at various stations of the Central Railways zone. The Central Railway has announced a mega block from November 19 from 11 pm to 2 am on November 21.

BMC and police authorities have already closed this bridge for vehicular traffic so the railway is all set to dismantle this bridge by next weekend, the Central Railway said in a statement. In these 27 hours, traffic will be affected for Mumbai local services on Central Railways main line and Harbour line (Harbour Line lies between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Wadala).

Also read: Indian Railways Update: IRCTC cancels over 160 trains on November 12, Check full list HERE

Traffic will be completely closed on the main line between CSMT and Byculla and on the harbour line, it will be closed between CSMT and Wadala stations, the statement said.

"We are taking this mega block of 27 hours to dismantle Carnak bridge but we will try to resume services on the main line and harbour line before the stipulated time. We will try to finish our dismantling work on the main line and resume services by 4 pm on November 20 and we are trying to resume services on harbour line also by 8 pm on November 20 night itself," Central Railway Chief PRO Shivaji Sutar said.

"But during the mega block period the services will be available at mainline and harbour line on the limited available routes with limited frequency only," he added. On November 20 (Sunday), Central Railway will run mainline services between Byculla and Thane, Kalyan and Karjat, and on harbour line, services will be available between Wadala and Panvel and Wadala and Goregaon only with limited frequency.

Central Railway said it had also appealed to commuters to plan their travel to avoid any problems during their journey. Apart from local train services, a few of the long-distance trains will also be affected during this mega block. 

(With inputs from ANI)