Overview
- Western Railway announced on June 16 that it will not operate the planned jumbo maintenance block on Sunday and will run suburban local trains to the regular weekday timetable on June 21, while air-conditioned local services will follow the normal Sunday schedule.
- Central Railway confirmed it will not carry out mega blocks on the suburban network for the same day but has not clarified whether its local services will follow a Sunday or a weekday timetable.
- The change was made to ensure reliable transport for thousands of students taking the NEET-UG retest on June 21 after the original May 3 exam was cancelled over alleged question paper leaks.
- Jumbo or mega blocks are extended weekend maintenance windows used for track, signalling and overhead-line work that normally reduce train frequency, so cancelling them restores higher train frequency and more consistent service on exam day.
- The decision eases travel for candidates and families but will delay some maintenance work, which may be rescheduled into future windows and could require the railways to adjust staffing or shorter blocks in the coming weeks.