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By:

Minal Sancheti

2 May 2026 at 12:26:53 pm

Mumbai to face mega blocks on the weekends

Mumbai: On June 28, passengers travelling between Matunga and Mulund stations, as well as between Thane and Vashi, are likely to face inconvenience due to a mega block. There will also be a jumbo block on the weekends between Bhayandar and Borivali stations. Central Railway On Sunday, train services will be suspended due to a mega block between Matunga and Mulund stations. The services on the Trans-Harbour Line between Thane and Vashi stations, will also be suspended. This action will be...

Mumbai to face mega blocks on the weekends

Mumbai: On June 28, passengers travelling between Matunga and Mulund stations, as well as between Thane and Vashi, are likely to face inconvenience due to a mega block. There will also be a jumbo block on the weekends between Bhayandar and Borivali stations. Central Railway On Sunday, train services will be suspended due to a mega block between Matunga and Mulund stations. The services on the Trans-Harbour Line between Thane and Vashi stations, will also be suspended. This action will be taken by the Mumbai division of Central Railway because of various engineering and maintenance works. The block on the main line between Matunga-Mulund stations on the up and down slow lines will be from 11.05 am to 3.55 pm. Down slow line services leaving CSMT Mumbai from 10.14 am to 3.32 pm will be diverted on the down fast line between Matunga and Mulund stations, halting at Sion, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup, and Mulund stations, further re-diverted on the down slow line at Mulund station, and will arrive at the destination 15 minutes behind schedule. Up slow line services leaving Thane from 11.07 am to 3.51 pm will be diverted on the up fast line at Mulund station, between Mulund and Matunga stations, halting at Mulund, Bhandup, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Kurla, and Sion stations, further re-diverted on the up slow line at Matunga and will arrive at the destination 15 minutes behind schedule. All up and down locals leaving and arriving at the CSMT between 11.00 am to 5.00 pm will reach their destination 15 minutes later than the scheduled arrival time. The Trans-Harbour line block will operate between Thane, Vashi, and Nerul stations on the up and down from 11.10 am to 4.10 pm. Up and Down Trans-Harbour line services will remain suspended between Thane, Vashi, and Nerul stations during the block period. Down line services for Vashi, Nerul, and Panvel, leaving Thane from 10.35 am to 4.07 pm, and up-line services for Thane, leaving Panvel, Nerul, and Vashi from 10.25 am to 4.09 pm, will remain cancelled. Dr. Swapnil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer, Central Railway, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, said, “These maintenance mega blocks are essential for infrastructure upkeep and safety. Passengers are requested to bear with the Railway Administration for the inconvenience caused.” Western Railway To carry out maintenance work of tracks, signalling, and overhead equipment, the Western Railway will also operate a mega block, which will be undertaken during the intervening night of June 27 and 28, 2026, between Bhayandar and Borivali stations. During the block period, all fast line trains between Virar and Vasai Road and Borivali will be operated on the slow lines.

Should You Prepay Your Home Loan?

For many families, a home loan is the biggest financial commitment of their lives. So, it is natural to think that the faster you repay it, the better it is. After all, becoming debt-free sounds emotionally satisfying and financially responsible.


But personal finance is not only about emotions. It is also about opportunity cost.


Cheap Money

A home loan is usually among the cheapest forms of borrowing available to an individual. In many cases, especially for younger borrowers with longer tenure loans, the interest rate tends to be in a moderate range and is often on a floating basis. In the long term, as the economy grows, interest rates eventually reduce. 


If your home loan is currently costing you around 7.5% to 9%, this rate of interest will eventually go down in the future. Importantly, your long-term investments can potentially grow at 10% to 15% if you build a good basket of stocks, mutual funds, and gold. Thus, aggressively prepaying the loan may not always be the smartest move. The money used to reduce a relatively low-cost loan could possibly work harder elsewhere - in equity mutual funds, hybrid funds, direct equities, and gold as part of a balanced portfolio.


The Mistake

This is where many people make mistakes. They become obsessed with closing the home loan quickly and end up diverting most of their surplus income towards prepayment. In the process, they ignore other equally important goals such as retirement, children’s education, children’s marriage, and vacations. Basically, a home is one financial goal, not the only financial goal.


So, should you prepay your home loan? Yes, you can. But do not overdo it.


Smarter Way

A practical way to handle this is to increase your loan repayment gradually rather than aggressively. For example, if your income rises by 10% this year, you may consider increasing your effective home loan outflow by a similar percentage. If your EMI is 20,000 and your salary rises from 1 lakh to 1.10 lakh per month, paying around 22,000 instead of 20,000 can be a sensible middle path. Similarly, if you receive a bonus, you may use a portion of it, perhaps one-third of it, for prepayment.


This method helps you reduce the burden gradually and in a staggered manner, while also creating wealth in parallel by increasing your monthly investments in other assets.


Dividing Income

A useful rule of thumb is to divide your income equally into three buckets - regular living expenses, loans and EMIs, and long-term investing for future goals. If too much of your money goes into home loan prepayment, your long-term wealth creation may suffer.


Remember, life will continue to demand money for many other important goals.


Compounding Work

So, do not chase home loan prepayment blindly. Build financial assets in parallel through smart investing, prepay moderately, and let compounding work in your favour.


(The author is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

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