Commuters say the 5th and 6th lines will provide seamless travel between Kalyan and LTT Kurla, but will trigger rail jams at both ends; officials say Kalyan yard remodelling will ease problem
A train engine runs on the newly installed railway bridge between Diva and Thane, on Sunday. Pic/Satej Shinde
Seamless commute with jams at both ends. This could be the story of the new Diva-Thane 5th and 6th lines that are expected to be ready by the end of this month. While the new lines will create a smooth commute on the Kurla LTT-Kalyan stretch, a bottleneck is expected at Kalyan due to all six lines merging into the station. Even at the LTT-Kurla end, there could be crowding due to platform saturation. Officials said the work on the Kalyan yard remodelling project will likely provide relief.
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“Yes. The Kalyan yard remodelling project will begin this year. It will not only ease commuting and avoid rail jams but also create more passenger amenities. The project will increase the existing platforms from seven to 13 and will also create a Kalyan east access for commuters, which is at present almost absent. The plan envisages direct access to the station from the Patri Pul side to the east of the station,” Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde said.
Commuters are also concerned about the inconvenience that lies in the coming days. “This also entails more congestion at Kurla LTT, which is already short of platforms and trains arriving at Kurla LTT have to wait at Vidyavihar for at least 15-20 mins. Only a few trains get direct entry into LTT,” said commuter Vishal Firke. Senior railway officials said they are confident of starting work on the Kalyan station remodelling this year. The project calls for shifting over a hundred rail points, creating space for laying additional lines, altering signalling systems and constructing new platforms.
Once completed, the remodelled Kalyan station will allow segregation of long-distance trains, good trains and local trains. Under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-3A, there are plans to add 3rd and 4th rail lines on Kalyan-Badlapur and 4th line on Kalyan-Asangaon section, which will have to be taken into planning. In pre-COVID days, Kalyan station had a daily footfall of over 5 lakh with over 750 local and outstation train services. A total of 227 outstation trains halt at Kalyan every day.
37 km
Distance between Kalyan station and LTT Kurla
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