Mumbai: Starting next Saturday evening, the Western Railway (WR) will initiate five mega blocks to commission the new 6th line extension from Goregaon to Kandivli . Four of these blocks will begin at 10 pm on Saturday and end around 8 am on Sunday. The last of the five blocks will be taken in October.
Due to Ganpati, the work has not been planned between Sept 11 and 17. Apart from weekends, work related to the 6th line will continue every day but without causing disruption to train services . Currently, the 6th line exists only between Khar and Goregaon, but plans are in place to extend it to Borivali.
According to WR, 100 to 180 train services will be cancelled during each of these weekends, primarily affecting late evening services on Saturdays and early morning services on Sundays. A WR official explained, "Since there's no space on the eastern side of Malad Station to lay the 6th line, it will be laid on the western side. All existing five lines will be shifted westward through a process of cutting and connection.
" Once the 6th line between Goregaon and Kandivli is operational, it will alleviate congestion on the current 5th line (Goregaon-Borivali). At present, all Bandra Terminus (BDTS)-bound trains operate on the single 5th line between Goregaon and Borivali. The new 6th line will provide separate up and down tracks, creating additional paths and improving train movement.
"Trains bound for BDTS that were running on the third and fourth lines will be shifted to the 5th and 6th lines," the official added. "This will enhance punctuality for trains starting and ending at BDTS and eventually improve suburban train schedules as well.".
