Western Railway cleans Dadar platform 3 track with modified ballast machine

Western Railway used a modified Ballast Cleaning Machine, BCM-777, to clean the suburban track at Dadar’s platform 3 — its first mechanised ballast-cleaning operation on a platform track in the Churchgate–Virar section.

The crushed stone ballast beneath sleepers can become compacted with dust, muck and undersized stones under constant train movement. Railway officials said this reduces drainage and can weaken the track foundation; at some locations on the section, the effective ballast cushion was measured at 0–50 mm, against a prescribed requirement of more than 300 mm.

At Dadar, engineers removed around 160 steel track-divider panels and dismantled concrete foundations to make room for the machine. They identified and shifted or lowered signalling and power cables, along with utility pipelines, before slewing the track 150–200 mm away from the platform wall.

The machine removed fouled ballast and muck, with a Muck Disposal Unit attached because of limited space at the platform. A tamping machine and Dynamic Track Stabiliser then restored the track. Railway staff checked track geometry and platform clearances before reopening the line, and ensured the first train passed the site before the supervisor left.