Mumbai’s suburban rail commuters are set to experience significant service disruptions as Western Railway undertakes a crucial three-day night block between Mira Road and Bhayander stations to facilitate girder launching for the upcoming Metro Line 9 corridor. These night blocks, coupled with a jumbo day block on Sunday between Churchgate and Mumbai Central, mark a strategic push in the integration of multimodal transport infrastructure.
The night blocks will take place across three consecutive nights from June 7 to June 10, 2025. Services on all lines will be impacted during the short but crucial window from 1:30 AM to 3:15 AM on the first night and from 1:45 AM to 3:00 AM on the following two nights. This time frame is carefully chosen to minimise disruption, yet suburban services will face several cancellations and schedule revisions during the period. The upgrade work is part of the ongoing Metro Line 9 project that aims to enhance east-west connectivity across the extended western suburbs. Authorities have confirmed that the construction involves launching of heavy girders over the railway corridor—a critical activity requiring complete line clearance and overhead safety precautions.
To accommodate the engineering operations, Western Railway has modified its late-night local train operations. On the night of June 7, the last local from Churchgate to Virar will depart at 11:58 PM, while the final Bhayander-bound service will leave at 11:38 PM. Southbound services from Virar to Churchgate will see their last departure at 12:05 AM. Similar revised timings will be in place over the next two nights, urging passengers to confirm train timings before travel. In addition to the night block, a five-hour jumbo block is planned on Sunday, June 8, from 10:35 AM to 3:35 PM, between Churchgate and Mumbai Central. This block is aimed at conducting routine track, signal, and overhead equipment maintenance. During this window, all slow line trains will be rerouted via fast lines, and several services will be either short-terminated at Bandra or Dadar or cancelled entirely.
Railway officials have reassured that all blocks are being carried out in a phased and pre-planned manner to both support Metro infrastructure growth and maintain railway safety standards. The works are seen as a short-term inconvenience with long-term gains as Mumbai continues to build a more interconnected and sustainable transit ecosystem. While train delays and rerouting may pose challenges to regular commuters, especially shift workers and late-night travellers, the infrastructure being laid down is expected to ease travel for millions in the years to come. The seamless integration of Metro and suburban networks is a pivotal goal in creating a zero-carbon, inclusive transport model for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
As Mumbai accelerates towards a transit-oriented urban future, temporary disruptions such as these reflect the growing pains of a city investing in smarter and more resilient public infrastructure. Passengers are advised to plan their travel in advance and stay updated with real-time announcements from Western Railway to avoid last-minute inconvenience.
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