Commuters using the Western Railway faced major delays during Monday’s morning rush hour, with trains running 15 to 30 minutes late.
The delays were especially bad on the slow and fast lines heading towards Churchgate, caused by speed limits of just 30 km/h after a 10-hour mega block operation.
This maintenance work involved two separate blockages: one on the 5th line from 9:30 PM Sunday to 7:30 AM Monday, and another on the Up and Down Harbour lines between Goregaon and Kandivali stations from 12:30 AM to 10:30 AM Monday.
To ease overcrowding, Western Railway authorities announced special train services on the Harbour line through social media on Monday morning. According to Hindustan Times, a railway official mentioned, “We ran a local train at 9:25 AM from Goregaon to CSMT on the Harbour line from platform 1 and another at 9:20 AM from Goregaon to Churchgate on platform 2.”
These speed restrictions are part of ongoing work to re-lay the 5th and 6th railway lines between Ram Mandir and Kandivali. This project is set to cause daily cancellations of 150 to 175 suburban train services until October 4, when the speed limits will gradually be lifted.
On Sunday, Western Railway announced that commuters on the Western Line should expect delays from Monday to Friday (September 30 to October 4) due to these speed restrictions between Goregaon and Kandivali. While necessary for improving rail infrastructure by adding two new lines, these measures are disrupting train services.
In the past month, railway authorities have made significant changes, moving all four railway lines westward and adjusting the boarding and alighting sides of platforms. This reconfiguration aims to free up two lines for dedicated tracks for outstation trains, separating suburban trains from long-distance services.
Valued at Rs 930 crore, this project aims to enhance the railway network’s capacity and improve service efficiency once completed.
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