Not only travel time of fast local trains between Kalyan-CSMT will be reduced by at least a minute in the near future but around three dozens of additional air conditioned locals will be also made available for the commuters of main line soon.
However, for that commuters need to wait at least a week, due to several speed restrictions on the sections because new track needs few more days to settle down. During this period local trains of main line might be delayed by 15 minutes.
According to chief public relations officer of Central Railway Shivaji Sutar, from Tuesday onwards long distance trains will start running on 5th and 6th line between LTT and Kalyan .
"Currently around 70 trains needs to be diverted on fast local line between Thane and Diva, but from Tuesday these trains will run on separate corridor also known as 5th and 6th line" said Sutar adding that in result now these trains will no need to cross the track between Thane and Diva in result congestion of the track earlier will be reduced now .
Till Monday around 70 long-distance trains ( in both directions up and down) were running on 5th and 6th line between LTT and Thane and After Thane these trains were diverted on fast local line because of missing link of 5th and 6th line between Thane and Diva.
The decade old 5th and 6th line project will be completed at zero hours (Monday -Tuesday midnight) after that separate line of long distance and local trains will available from Tuesday.
"Work of 5th and 6th line is completed, only testing of signaling system remains, which will be completed before zero hours of Midnight of Monday -Tuesday as per the plan" said an officer of Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation, implementing agency of the project on Monday.
Earley commissioner of railway safety visited the site in the afternoon of Monday and clear the track for the passenger train as per Railway manual of new line . During inspection of commissioner of railway safety dozens of senior officers of Central Railway Mumbai Division and Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation also present.
Thane-Diva 5th and 6th line was sanctioned in 2008-09 under MUTP II with equal cost sharing between Ministry of Railways and the Government of Maharashtra.
Salient Features of 5th 6th line project between Thane and Diva
19 km length (UP and DN) new tracks laid down between Thane and Diva
6 platforms and 8 Foot Over Bridges constructed at Kalwa, Mubra and Diva
1.4 km long rail flyover, 3 major bridges, 21 minor bridges also constructed between Thane and Diva
170 m long tunnel constructed
Benefits
Segregation of suburban and mail exp/goods trains corridors. This will help to improve punctuality of trains in future as well create path for introduction of additional local services on CRs main line.
