Commuters using Central Railway's suburban services were faced with delays and overcrowding on Friday morning as a 63-hour-long mega block began for the widening of platforms at Thane station. The Maharashtra government has now permitted all public service vehicles in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region to operate stage carriage services during the block, following complaints from lakhs of office-goers. The permission has been granted under the Motor Vehicles Act 1988, allowing taxis, auto rickshaws, and contract carriage buses to pick up and drop passengers at multiple locations to ease the inconvenience caused by the block.