Mumbai: Central Railway speeds up local trains near Thane, Kalyan

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The Central Railway said on Thursday that they had sped up local train movement at crucial spots near Thane and Kalyan by upgrading rail crossovers, removing speed limiting devices and at by posting relief crew of two motormen at Asangaon to improve punctuality. These measures are likely to save a lot of time in the suburban commute.

"At Asangaon, we have kept a relief staff of an additional set of motormen and guard so that the train is not detained for the time when the motorman walks from one end of the station to the other. The additional motorman that joins from Kalyan in the guards' cabin quickly takes over once the train reaches Asangaon and can start again for Mumbai CSMT," a senior railway official said.

"At Kalyan, there were crossovers that limited the speed of locals while leaving and entering the station. These have been upgraded now so that the trains will not crawl and keep moving at a faster pace, he said.

"At Thane, there were speed restrictions on the creek bridge towards Kalwa side on the down fast line due to it being an important technical spot when the traction was converted from DC to AC power. The speed limiting governors have now been removed and trains can now increase speed rapidly as they move out of the station," he added.

These overall measures will cut down the running time of suburban trains and improve overall punctuality, the official added. Chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar confirmed the development.