04 December,2017 09:53 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B Aklekar
CSMT-Panvel railway corridor will be the first of its kind to run Metro-style coaches on standard gauge rails, so it can fully integrate with the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai Metro
In the future, rail commuters can enjoy the Metro experience on the commute between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai - air-conditioned coaches, automated doors, and high speeds. As a cost-saving measure, the authorities have now decided to use Metro-style rakes on the two lines planned between the sister cities - the CSMT-Panvel fast line elevated corridor and the Mumbai airport-Navi Mumbai airport corridor. This will ensure that the railway lines can easily integrate with the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai Metro network.
In theory, rakes running on the CSMT-Panvel line will also be able to run on connecting Metro line. File pic for representation
Plenty of firsts
This is the first time that the authorities have planned a complete integration of the railways and Metro; in theory, rakes running on the CSMT-Panvel line will also be able to run on connecting Metro lines. For this, the new lines will be laid with standard gauge, instead of broad gauge. This is the first Indian Railways route in the country to have standard gauge. All Metro trains use this gauge.
CSMT-Panvel
The CSMT-Panvel elevated corridor was brought out from the cold storage after Railway Minister Piyush Goyal began discussions on it last week. A senior official said that a feasibility study was conducted in 2012 on broad gauge operations. This study was conducted afresh, taking into account the change in gauge and the integration of the railways and Metro. This line will have 11 stations, almost all of them serving as major interchange points with other modes of transit. The alignment of the CSMT-Panvel fast line will start at the east of platform 18 at CSMT, and will run along the existing Harbour line. Between CSMT and Mankhurd, the line will be elevated, while it will run at grade between Mankhurd and Vashi. After Vashi, the line will be elevated again till Belapur, at which point it will run at ground level. The existing harbour line will be shifted from platform one and two to a new two-deck station.
The CSMT-Panvel line will also connect to the Airport Metro between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The two lines will intersect at Nerul, just before the under-construction Nerul-Uran line railway bridge across Palm Beach Road. This project will be handled by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
Airport line
This line was proposed by the state government to connect Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) to the upcoming Navi Mumbai Airport. It will begin at Andheri East and will run underground, parallel to the existing Metro 1 line. Further on, this two-track corridor with eight-car trains will run elevated and at grade along the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd route, before connecting to the airport in Panvel. This project will be handled by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
5ft 6in Width of broad gauge
4ft 8in Width of standard gauge
