CR to shift 10 long-distance trains from CSMT, Dadar to ease suburban delays

Under the plan, five pairs of long-distance trains would be diverted to LTT or Panvel instead of running into south Mumbai.

Railway sources said the aim is to utilise the relatively underused five to six lines on the LTT–Kalyan corridor or terminate some services at Panvel, nearly 60 km short of CSMT.

Officials said long-distance trains frequently run late, cutting into the tightly scheduled suburban timetable.
“Every day, dozens of local services are delayed because incoming express trains overshoot their slots,” said a senior CR official.

“These delays cascade through the system and disrupt peak-hour operations.”

CR estimates that around 40 suburban services are affected daily, during both peak and non-peak hours, due to conflicts with long-distance trains. The problem worsens in winter, when fog in northern India delays Mumbai-bound trains. Services scheduled to arrive between 4 am and 5 am often reach closer to 7 am or 8 am, overlapping with the suburban peak.

Trains identified for terminal changes include the Rajyarani Express, Nagercoil Express, Dadar–Tirunelveli Superfast Express, Thiruvananthapuram Central Express and Hapa Duronto, among others.

CR has also proposed increasing train lengths from 16–20 coaches to 24 coaches to boost long-distance passenger capacity and offset inconvenience caused by terminal shifts.

“Just by changing terminals, we can introduce around 15 extra suburban services,” a senior CR official said.

“Six of these could be operated during peak hours, which would boost capacity without additional fare burden on commuters. We are waiting for formal clearance to implement this.”

Separately, the railway is also planning to reintroduce 14 AC local train services on the Harbour Line from Republic Day.