PM Modi to kick off trains on new Thane-Diva line

Contract workers carry out rail line installation work for the new line near Diva station. File pic

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off trains on the new Thane-Diva section. The event is tentatively planned for February 18, but there is no official confirmation yet. A new AC local train service will also be flagged off on the main line on the occasion. The PM will conduct the event through video, while Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will physically attend the event.

The project, sanctioned in 2008, is a part of Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 2B and is crucial for the Central Railway as it will be a key factor in segregating outstation and local train rail corridors and thus improve the speed/frequency of trains.

The completion of the Thane-Diva corridor will see a sea of change in the rail traffic of Central Railway Mumbai and not only increase suburban trains, but also completely segregate the outstation mail/express trains between Kalyan and Kurla. The new lines have created paths for about 80 to 100 new services and Central Railway has procured an AC local train to be used for the line.

Central Railway is likely to introduce 36 new services, including 34 air-conditioned ones, on the line. This will take the number of services on the CR Mumbai to 1,810. Meanwhile, 16 AC services on the harbour line are likely to be replaced by regular services. With this, the main line of Mumbai suburban railway has got a 35-km dedicated slow and fast corridors for suburban trains. Accordingly, new platforms have also been built at Kalwa and Mumbra stations.