Kalwa lines a pain, making trains crawl, say commuters

The newly commissioned lines between Thane and Diva; (right) The new lines will create room for more services, say railway officials

Central Railway commuters have complained of slow-moving local trains and delays ever since the new Kalwa lines were laid. They say the journey time between Kalyan and Mumbai CSMT has considerably increased. Railway officials said it's just a matter of a few days as curbs have been imposed for safety. The lines will eventually improve efficiency and create room for more services, they said.

"Since the work on the new lines has begun, trains have slowed down a lot and literally crawl between Thane and Diva in both directions. Now it takes 10 to 15 minutes more to reach Mumbai CSMT, which means we end up reaching office late," Akash Masundikar, a regular commuter and a resident of Dombivli said.

Another commuter, Yashodha Kate from Kalyan, said that she has switched over to an earlier train to reach her destination on time. "The train trundles very slowly between Diva till Thane. Instead of 7.20 am, I catch an earlier train every morning, which allows me to reach Masjid Bunder, my workplace station, on time. Hope the trains will be faster again," she said.

Railway officials said that the new tracks and system needed some time to stabilise and overall there were caution orders and speed restrictions at about 27 places along the stretch, which would be relaxed soon.

"It is a standard practice to have such speed limits for a few days and they are not permanent ones. Once the line is commissioned, they shall continue for a few days and there will be normalcy. The new lines once settled, will, in fact, help speed up local trains and also allow space to add more services," a senior divisional official said.

Central Railway chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said the restrictions are a temporary measure. "The speed limits will be relaxed as tracks stabilise in a few days."