People who rely on Mumbai’s Western Railway (WR) line for daily travel are likely to face service disruptions as the railways begin an infrastructure block. The block has been imposed to carry out work on the proposed sixth railway line between Borivali and Kandivali and will result in the cancellation of up to 80 local trains daily, along with nearly 100 outstation trains.
The block will be implemented in multiple phases over a period of 30 days. It started on the intervening night of December 20-21 and will continue until January 18, 2026. During the first phase, from December 20-21 to December 25-26, train operations will be restricted every night between 11 pm and 4:30 am in an effort to minimise disruption during peak daytime hours.
The announcement of more phases will be made later, depending on the progress on the sixth line.
Work on the sixth line
According to Western Railway officials, the project involves realignment of tracks, along with the installation and removal of several crossovers in the Borivali-Kandivali stretch. The work also requires extensive upgrades in engineering, signalling systems, and overhead electrical equipment, making it necessary to regulate train movement during night hours.
“This is because the fifth suburban traffic avoidance (STA) line will be required to be suspended to be integrated with the new line. Express trains will be travelling on the fast corridor,” a WR official was quoted by Mid-Day as saying.
As a result, operations between Borivali and Kandivali on the fifth line will be suspended, while trains operating on other lines will run under speed restrictions.
“The fifth line will remain suspended for passenger train operations, and speed restrictions will be imposed on other lines. All trains working on the fifth line, i.e Mail/Express and Suburban trains, will be operated on the Fast line between Andheri/Goregaon and Borivali,” the press release issued by Western Railways stated.
70-80 local trains to face cancellation daily
“As many as 70-80 suburban locals, comprising 35-40 trains each in the northbound and southbound directions, may be cancelled daily till January 18,” a WR official was quoted by HT as saying.
From December 21 to December 25, a total of 94 suburban local services per day, evenly split between up and down routes, will be affected. On December 26, as many as 87 local trains will be affected. On December 20/21, only seven trains were affected.
In addition to cancellations, several trains will be rescheduled, regulated, short-terminated, or short-originated. Some services will also skip their scheduled halt at Borivali station and instead stop at Andheri and Vasai Road stations.
Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said efforts are being made to reduce inconvenience to passengers, particularly around December 31, when commuter traffic is expected to rise due to New Year celebrations, The Indian Express reported.
Commuters are advised to plan their journeys carefully, pay attention to station announcements, and check updated timetables displayed at stations and on official railway communication platforms.
The sixth railway line project forms part of Western Railway’s long-term capacity enhancement plan aimed at reducing congestion on one of Mumbai’s busiest suburban corridors. While officials maintain that the inconvenience is temporary and necessary for long-term operational benefits, commuters are expected to experience crowding and delays in the coming weeks.
Subhash Gupta, a member of the National Railway Users Consultative Committee, said that although passengers would be inconvenienced by the fresh month-long block, they would take it in their stride. “To gain something, you must lose something. For more suburban services in the future, this kind of work is much required, and passengers should and will take it in their stride,” Gupta was quoted by HT as saying.