As services of local as well as long-distance trains are expected to remain badly hit during the block period, the railways have appealed to commuters to avoid travelling in local trains, if not necessary.
The Central Railway will operate a 63-hour mega block from May 30 midnight for platform extension works on the Mumbai network, a move that will affect the services of local trains, known as the "lifeline of the city, and the work schedule of lakhs of commuters.
As services of local as well as long-distance trains are expected to remain badly hit during the block period, the railways have appealed to commuters to avoid travelling in local trains, if not necessary.
The mega block will be operated for platform extension and widening works at CSMT and Thane stations.
"A 63-hour mega block for the widening of platform nos 5 and 6 (in Thane) will start from Thursday midnight while a 36-hour block for the works related to the extension of platform nos 10 and 11 (at CSMT) will kick in from Friday midnight," Rajneesh Goyal, divisional railway manager of Central Railway's Mumbai division, told a press conference on Wednesday.
He said once the platform breadth is widened, facilities like escalators or wider staircases for FOB (Foot Over Bridge) can be provided.
Swapnil Nila, chief public relations officer of Central Railways, said a total of 72 mail-express trains and 956 suburban trains on the main and Harbour corridors will remain cancelled from Friday to Sunday.
Several mail-express and suburban trains will be short-terminated and short-originated from Wadala, Dadar, Thane, Pune, Panvel and Nashik stations.
"There will be unavoidable cancellation of suburban trains. Hence, we request all the establishments to allow your staff to work from home or any other means possible to reduce the number of passengers on these days," Nila said.
He said the Railways has requested the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to operate extra buses for the convenience of the passengers.
The block for the works related to the extension of platforms at CSMT and widening of platforms at Thane station will end at 3.30 pm on Sunday, as per a Central Railway release.
At CSMT, the length of platform nos 10 and 11 has been extended to accommodate 24-coach trains from the earlier 16 coaches.
While the extension-related work is already completed, the mega block will be operated mainly for carrying out non-interlocking (related to track changing points) works.
At Thane, platforms nos 4 and 5, which witness overcrowding due to the narrow width and operation of both mail/express and local trains, are being widened by 2-3 metres.
According to Central Railway, a total of 930 local trains, including 161 on Friday, 534 on Saturday and 235 on Sunday, will remain cancelled during the mega blocks (at CSMT and Thane).
Initially, the railway had announced the cancellation of 956 local trains but later it decided to operate 26 services (out of 956).
During the block period, Central Railway will short-terminate and short-originate local as well as long-distance trains from Dadar, Thane, Wadala, Nasik and Panvel stations.
The Railways will short-terminate 444 suburban services, including seven on Friday, 306 on Saturday and 131 on Sunday. A total of 446 local train services, including 307 on Saturday and 139 on Sunday, will originate from various stations.
"These blocks are essential for infrastructure upgradation and long-term benefits. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway administration for the inconvenience caused," the CR said.
Goyal said the CR has also almost completed the work for providing a double-discharge facility on platforms 10 and 11 of the busy Dadar station and planning to finish the pending work in the next two days.
The Railway operates more than 1,800 local train services on its four corridors- Main, Harbour, Trans-Habour, and Uran, every day, which are used by more than 30 lakh commuters every day.