Due to Central Railway’s 63-hour block to widen platform 5 and 6 in Thane, the users of the suburban services were met with delays and overcrowding this morning.
Lakhs of office-goers who use Central Railway’s main corridor were inconvenienced by the mega block, which started Thursday midnight.
Delays, overcrowding
Several commuters have complained about 30-minute-long delays. Besides this, there have been reports of local trains being packed and major stations witnessing overcrowding.
As per the Central Railway, on Friday, at least six long-distance trains and 161 local services have been cancelled due to the block.
Due to anticipated delays and overcrowding, railway authorities are advising commuters to avoid suburban train journeys unless absolutely necessary.
The block, spanning from May 31 to June 2, will see 72 long-distance and 930 suburban services being cancelled, a senior official had said. A CR spokesperson mentioned that they have completed some projects ahead of schedule, and improvements are expected soon.
“The track slewing work (shifting track sideways from its normal position) at Thane station has been completed. Tamping (packing ballast under track) and blasting of the track are currently in progress. The up slow line was declared fit at 08.04 am, well ahead of its scheduled time of 12.30 pm,” he said.
The official added that local trains were previously running 15 to 20 minutes behind schedule, but the situation was expected to improve by 10:30 am.
Appeal for work from home
An appeal has been made to public and private establishments to allow their staff to work from home or provide them with an alternative means of transport during the block.
(With PTI inputs)