Central Railway announced a 63-hour mega block starting midnight on May 30, impacting 930 local train services. This block aims to extend platforms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and widen platforms at Thane station. Operations will resume by 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, 1st June. With over 1,800 local train services daily, serving over 30 lakh passengers across four corridors, disruptions and overcrowding are expected. Thane`s overcrowded platforms 5 and 6 will be widened by 2-3 meters. During the block, 444 suburban services will be shortened and 446 services will originate from other stations. Mr. Ram Karan Yadav, the general manager of Central Railway said that Mega block is being carried to extend the length of CST. Apart from the local train services, long-distance trains are also expected to be affected during the block period. The railways have appealed to commuters to avoid travelling by local trains, unless necessary. However, daily commuters faced overcrowding and difficulties navigating through the crowds during the Mumbai block on 30th of May.
Western Railway completed the metal barrier fencing on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Railways route on March 13. The fencing has been done to curb the cattle run-over incidents. While speaking to the ANI, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that after the installation of the fence, the risk of cattle getting killed will be zero. "This is a very innovative design of fencing which has been put up from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. After the installation of this fence, cattle will not be able to come on the track and the risk of cattle getting killed will practically be zero. This innovation has been accepted by people as well. Due to this fence, the trains running between Mumbai to Ahmedabad can be taken to 160 km/hour,” said Ashwini Vaishnaw. The metal beam fencing is very robust as it consists of two W-beams. A W-beam type stands for wide flanges, which are thicker, and aid in resisting bend stress. Such fencing is used in highways & expressways, especially in accident-prone areas to protect vehicles as well as pedestrians.
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