Mumbai: CR widens platforms at Kasara; expected to ease travel for commuters

The work being carried out on Sunday

Following the 22-hour block at Kasara station, on Monday, commuters will see platforms widened and extended. "This will accommodate longer trains and enhance passenger-carrying capacity," a Central Railway spokesperson said. Completion of the work will also result in uninterrupted train traffic. During the block eight suburban trains were cancelled and 22 short-terminated. Additionally, 25 mail/express trains were diverted or short-terminated. The works were planned from 3.20 am on Sunday (October 20) to 1.20 am on Monday (October 21).

"From Monday morning , platforms no 1 and 2 at Kasara station will have been extended from the present 480m to 600m, accommodating longer trains. The platform has also been widened to increase its carrying capacity of passengers," a CR spokesperson said. According to the official, three train reception and dispatch lines in the Down Yard are also extended to accommodate longer freight trains along with their banker locomotives. "As a result, there won't be any train coaches trailing on the main line. Due to this, no train will be detained at Kasara while entering or leaving the station," he added.

"The third and most important benefit is that the work will also create space to seamlessly accommodate a third line that is being built between Kasara and Kalyan. The ongoing third line project is expected to take the load of express trains off the two tracks and clear the path for more suburban trains," he explained.

Third line project The 67-km-long Kasara-Kalyan Line is being built at a cost of Rs 793 crore. It is the longest bi-directional line under construction in Mumbai Division and work on it is more than 50 per cent complete. As per the official project note, 147 local, 71 long-distance and about 20 freight trains run on the existing two lines daily. All these trains compete with the suburban trains for slots as the passenger load of Titwala, Asangaon and Kasara is growing phenomenally, which makes it a very congested route. The third line will significantly reduce the load on these two existing rail lines.