Mumbai: 5th-6th lines commissioned; local, express trains to have separate paths
Premium- The work on the 5th and 6th lines between Thane and Diva was sanctioned in 2008-09
- The project was to be originally completed in December 2015
After a 72-hour block, the segregation of the 5th and 6th lines between Thane and Diva on Central Railway's Mumbai network has now been completed, allowing for complete segregation of suburban and local-distance trains, reported news agency PTI on Tuesday.
With this, the path of the local and express train was completely separated between Kurla and Kalyan, two major junctions on the network, over a decade after the 5th and 6th lines were commissioned between Kurla and Thane.
"After the commissioning of the new railway lines, fast suburban trains will go parallel to existing slow lines via Kalva and Mumbra stations, instead of Parsik tunnel between Thane and Diva. The tunnel route will be used only for outstation trains," an official said.
The move is expected to bring relief to passengers by way of more services and punctual operations.
"Thane-Diva 5th and 6th line work has been completed successfully. The separation of the corridor will help improve punctuality of trains and allow us to have additional paths for more suburban trains," said Shivaji Sutar, the CR chief public relations officer.
"The work of cut and connection of lines on this section was carried out by operating various blocks. The major blocks with a duration of 18, 24, 36, 14 were operated successfully and a 72 hours mega block was operated now," Sutar added.
Timeline of project
The work on the 5th and 6th lines between Thane and Diva was sanctioned in 2008-09 under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase 2, with equal cost-sharing by the Railway Ministry and the Maharashtra government.
The project, which was to be originally completed in December 2015, saw the building of a 1.4-kilometre long rail flyover, three major and 21 minor bridges as well as a 170-metre tunnel.
The cost of the project, amid the delays, increased from ₹130 crore to ₹440 crore, with railway officials having to acquire 12,962 square metres of land and rehabilitating 469 project affected people (PAP).
With inputs from agencies.
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