No Mega Block This Sunday: Central Railway To Run 1,820 Trains For NEET Aspirants' Smooth Travel

Published 20 June 2026 · local

No Mega Block This Sunday: Central Railway To Run 1,820 Trains For NEET Aspirants' Smooth Travel Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 20, 2026

No Mega Block This Sunday: Central Railway To Run 1,820 Trains For NEET Aspirants' Smooth Travel Reported By, Edited By Last Updated: June 20, 2026, 17:08 IST Ahead of the NEET-UG 2026 re-exam, Central Railway has cancelled its scheduled Sunday Mega Block and will operate all 1,820 suburban train services. Mumbai’s suburban railway system caters to nearly 8 million commuters daily, most of whom still rely on non-AC trains due to their affordability, often described as among the cheapest in the world. For lakhs of medical aspirants across India, this Sunday is far from ordinary. It marks the culmination of months of preparation, uncertainty and perseverance after the original NEET-UG 2026 examination was cancelled nearly seven weeks ago amid allegations of a paper leak. Now, with the re-examination scheduled for June 21, more than 22.79 lakh candidates are set to return to examination halls across the country.

As anxiety and anticipation peak, authorities are working behind the scenes to ensure that reaching the exam centre is one less thing for students to worry about. In a major relief for candidates and their families in Mumbai, Central Railway has suspended its routine Sunday maintenance work, popularly known as the “Mega Block", for June 21. Instead of operating the reduced weekend schedule of around 1,200 suburban services, the railway network will run its full weekday timetable, operating all 1,820 suburban train services. “Running a regular working-day timetable tomorrow is a step to ensure that NEET candidates face zero transit delays. Therefore, there will be no mega block tomorrow and a working-day train timetable will be followed this Sunday," Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila told CNN-News18. “Wishing the best to students. This step has been taken to help them reach their centres conveniently, and we wish them all the very best," he added.

The nationwide medical entrance examination will be conducted from 2:00 pm to 5:15 pm across 551 cities in India and 14 centres overseas. Candidates eligible for compensatory time will be allowed to continue writing until 6:20 pm. With afternoon heat, heavy travel and exam-day nerves expected to add to the pressure, officials have advised candidates and parents to take advantage of the enhanced suburban rail services and plan their journeys well in advance. Meanwhile, the Testing Agency (NTA) has also reached out to students ahead of the examination, encouraging them to remain calm and trust the preparation they have put in over the past several months. As the final countdown begins, Mumbai’s transport lifeline will operate at full capacity to support thousands of aspiring doctors. For candidates, the focus now shifts from logistics and uncertainty to what matters most — delivering their best performance on exam day.