169 WR train services to be cancelled for re-girdering of British-era bridge | Mumbai news

Mumbai: Train services on the Western Railway will be affected for 13 hours between Churchgate and Mumbai Central due to essential engineering work. The disruption will begin at 10 pm on Saturday and continue until 11 am on Sunday, resulting in the cancellation of 169 train services on the Churchgate-Virar-Dahanu route.

According to railway officials, the work involves the re-girdering of railways’ Bridge No. 5 between Grant Road and Mumbai Central, which has rail tracks over a nullah. Built nearly a century ago, the bridge requires strengthening with cement concrete to ensure safety and durability. “This is a critical infrastructure upgrade to enhance the longevity of the railway network,” said a Western Railway (WR) official.

The engineering work will impact train operations significantly. On Saturday night, 27 services will be cancelled, followed by 142 cancellations on Sunday. In addition, railway sources confirmed that services at Dadar and Bandra stations will also be affected, with 26 and 72 trains disrupted, respectively.

Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, stated that during the block period, all Up and Down Fast line trains will be diverted to the Slow lines between Churchgate and Mumbai Central. Commuters should also expect delays of 15 to 30 minutes during this period.

The Western Railway has been undertaking extensive bridge replacement projects across Mumbai. A similar girder and screw pile replacement was recently completed over the Mithi River. Additionally, the Bellasis Road Over Bridge (ROB), a key east-west connector between Nagpada and Tardeo, was demolished last year. Built in 1893, the bridge will be replaced with a modern 380-metre-long, six-lane cable-stayed bridge to improve connectivity in the region.