Mumbai: A 32.23-km fourth railway line planned between Kalyan and Asangaon will require the diversion of around 6.5 hectares of forest land across the Thane and Shahapur forest divisions. Central Railway has now approached the Centre for clearance for the Rs 1,619.96-crore project, which aims to ease congestion on the busy corridor shared by suburban locals, long-distance passenger trains and freight services.
Central Railway has submitted an application on the Parivesh portal seeking permission to use the forest land for the project, reported The Times of India. The expenditure will be shared equally by the Railways and the Maharashtra government. Under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, as amended, prior approval from the Centre is mandatory for diverting forest land for non-forestry purposes.
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Existing Railway Corridor Faces Congestion
The Kalyan-Asangaon section currently has two electrified tracks, while work on a third line is underway. Suburban local trains, mail and express services and also freight trains operate along the same corridor, leaving limited capacity to accommodate additional services and manage disruptions.
The stretch beyond Kalyan remains a bottleneck for Central Railway, particularly beyond Ambernath, where suburban and long-distance trains share limited track infrastructure. The proposed fourth line forms part of the railway’s wider capacity-augmentation programme.
Proposed Alignment & Station Connectivity
According to project documents, the new track will run largely parallel to the existing and proposed railway lines, making maximum use of the Railways’ existing right of way to minimise additional land requirements.
The alignment will pass through Kalyan, Shahad, Ambivli, Titwala, Khadavali, Vasind and Asangaon. Railway yards at Kalyan, Titwala, Khadavali, Vasind and Asangaon will also be connected to the proposed line, as per the project plan.
Forest Land Diversion Deemed Necessary
The documents state that forest land diversion is necessary because shifting the alignment away from the existing railway corridor is not considered feasible and could increase the overall land requirement. Non-forest land has been used wherever possible to limit the extent of forest diversion.
The additional line is intended to increase capacity on the Kalyan-Asangaon route, which carries a mix of suburban, long-distance passenger and freight traffic. The forest clearance application marks a key step towards taking the project forward.
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