Western Railway will operate a night-time jumbo block between Vasai Road and Bhayandar on September 26 and 27 for maintenance work, with slow-line suburban trains diverted to the fast lines and some services cancelled during the block period.
The block will be imposed on both the up and down slow lines from 12.30 am to 4.30 am on both days, according to a press release issued by Western Railway chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek. The work will cover track maintenance, signalling systems and overhead equipment between Vasai Road and Bhayandar stations.
During the four-hour block, all slow-line trains operating between Virar and Vasai Road, as well as between Borivali and Bhayandar, will run on the fast lines. The diversion is intended to allow maintenance teams to carry out the scheduled work while limiting disruption during the main daytime travel period.
Western Railway has also said that some suburban services will be cancelled during the block. The detailed list of cancelled trains will be made available at stations across the suburban section, the administration said.
A jumbo block temporarily affects more than one railway line or operating section so that several categories of maintenance can be completed within a scheduled window. In this case, the work is being conducted overnight, when passenger demand is generally lower than during the daytime peak period.
Passengers travelling late at night or in the early morning through Vasai Road, Bhayandar, Virar and adjoining stations will need to check service information before beginning their journey. Slow services may use fast-line platforms or operating routes during the block, while cancelled services will not run during the notified period.
The affected section is part of the heavily used suburban corridor connecting the western suburbs and the Vasai-Virar region with Mumbai. Western Railway has not provided a separate count of the services that will be cancelled in the information reported by Loksatta, but said the detailed schedule would be displayed at suburban stations.
The maintenance work is scheduled to continue from 12.30 am to 4.30 am on September 26 and September 27. Further passenger information, including the list of cancelled services, is expected to be available through station notices issued by Western Railway.
