Amid sixth line works: Western Railway to cancel up to 80 local trains daily on Borivali–Kandivali line

As part of the block arrangement, up to 80 suburban local trains will be cancelled daily, with several others being short-terminated, short-originated, rescheduled, or diverted. In addition, some services will skip their scheduled halt at Borivali station, further affecting peak-hour travel plans.

The block will be implemented in phases over a 30-day period starting from the night of December 20/21 and continuing till January 18. During the initial phase, from December 20/21 to December 25/26, the block will be in force every night between 11 pm and 4.30 am, a window chosen to limit disruption during peak commuter hours.

However, despite being a night block, train services running late at night and early morning will be affected due to the suspension of the fifth line and the diversion of services to other tracks. On days following the night block, residual effects such as delayed services, short-terminations, and cancellations during daytime hours are expected.

On December 26, a larger number of daytime local services will be cancelled to facilitate follow-up works and system adjustments. Railway officials said the exact nature and timing of blocks beyond December 26 will be announced in phases, depending on the progress of the sixth line work.

Providing details, WR Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said, “The scale of work necessitates extended nightly blocks, adding that operational adjustments are unavoidable to ensure safety,” He noted that efforts are being made to minimise inconvenience, particularly around December 31, when passenger movement is expected to increase due to New Year celebrations.

A day-wise schedule released by WR shows that on the night of December 20/21, a limited number of local services will be cancelled. However, from December 22 to December 25, as many as 94 local trains per day equally split between up and down services will be affected. On December 26, 87 local trains were slated for cancellation during the day.

Railway officials have advised commuters to plan journeys in advance, follow station announcements, and refer to updated timetables displayed at stations and on official railway communication platforms.

The sixth line project is part of WR’s long-term capacity augmentation plan aimed at easing congestion on one of Mumbai’s busiest suburban corridors. While officials maintain that the temporary inconvenience is necessary for long-term operational benefits, commuters are expected to brace for crowding and delays over the coming weeks.