Central Railway will impose a 12-day special traffic and power block on the Kasara route from 7 to 18 October to carry out work on the Asangaon–Kasara third line and expansion of the ‘up’ yard line at Kasara, leading to changes in suburban and long-distance train services.
The first phase of the block will affect train operations on 7, 8 and 9 October. Passengers travelling between Asangaon and Kasara have been advised to plan their journeys around the revised timetable, as suburban services will be suspended on parts of the route during specified periods.
On 7 and 8 October, the block will be imposed between 3.35 pm and 8.35 pm. During this period, suburban services will operate only up to Asangaon, with no local train service available between Asangaon and Kasara. Locals departing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 1.10 pm, 2.17 pm, 2.46 pm and 4.50 pm for Kasara will terminate at Asangaon.
Some services scheduled to depart from Kasara will instead start from Asangaon. Before the evening block begins, the last local from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus to Kasara will leave at 12.30 pm, while the last local from Kasara towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus will depart at 2.42 pm. After the block, the first Kasara-bound local will leave Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at 6.28 pm, and the first service from Kasara towards the terminus will depart at 8.35 pm.
A separate overnight block will be imposed from 12.30 am to 5.30 am during the intervening night of 8 and 9 October. Two night locals on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Kasara route, a Titwala–Thane local and a Kasara–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus local will be cancelled. Before the overnight block, the last Kasara-bound local will leave the terminus at 9.32 pm, while the last service from Kasara towards the terminus will depart at 10 pm. After the block, the first services will run at 4.19 am and 4.59 am respectively.
The block will also affect long-distance services. The Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Banaras Express and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Patliputra Express, scheduled for 8 October, will instead depart in the early hours of 9 October at 4 am and 4.15 am respectively. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Amritsar Express will also leave at 4 am on 9 October.
The timings of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus–Banaras Mahanagari Express and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus–Gorakhpur Kushinagar Express will also be revised. Some express trains will be regulated at Igatpuri, Khardi and Atgaon. In the Bhusawal division, certain trains will be held for periods ranging from 30 minutes to one hour and 25 minutes. Central Railway has indicated that some mail and express trains may be delayed because of the movement of successive services.
The Asangaon–Kasara third line forms part of the broader third- and fourth-line project between Kasara and Kalyan. The additional tracks are intended to help separate mail and express operations from suburban services, increase route capacity for future train services and improve traffic regulation. The announced changes will apply during the specified block periods as Central Railway undertakes the yard and track expansion work.
