Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the dedicated Thane-Diva 5th and 6th new lines and flagged off the inaugural run of additional suburban services from Thane and Diva on February 18th 2022 through video conferencing.
According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, after the dedication of the 5th and 6th line central railway decided to introduce 36 additional local services on its mainline which will increase the daily carrying capacity of local trains by one lakh passengers daily. Similarly, Prime Minister also praised the efforts of the railway to complete this project.
Greeting Mumbaikar on the fifth and sixth rail lines connecting Thane and Diva, the Prime Minister said that these lines will bring ease of life for the residents of the ever-mobile metropolitan.
The Prime Minister underlined four direct benefits of the two lines. Firstly, separate lines for local and express trains; secondly, trains coming from other states will not have to wait for the passing of local trains; thirdly, mail/express trains can be run without much obstruction in Kalyan to Kurla section and, finally, Kalwa Mumbra commuter will not be troubled due to blockage every Sunday.
He said that these lines and 36 new local trains on the central railway lines which are mostly AC are part of the central government’s commitment to expanding and modernising the facility of local trains.
Recalling the contribution of the metropolitan city of Mumbai in the progress of independent India, Modi said that now the effort is to increase Mumbai’s capability manifold with regard to its contribution for Aatmnirbhar Bharat. "That is why our special focus is on creating 21st-century infrastructure for Mumbai," said Modi.
Thousands of crore rupees are being invested in rail connectivity in Mumbai as the Mumbai Suburban Rail system is being equipped with the latest technology. The Prime Minister also said that efforts are on for adding additional 400 Kms in the Mumbai Suburban and 19 stations are planned to be modernised with facilities like a modern CBTC signal system.
Talking about the changed approach of New India regarding the completion of infrastructure projects, the Prime Minister pointed out that in the past projects lingered due to a lack of coordination from planning to execution stages.
"The plan will bring every department of the central government, state government’s local bodies and private sector on one platform. This will provide relevant information well in advance to all stakeholders for proper planning and coordination," the PM added.
Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra, and Uddhav Thackeray, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, joined the event through a weblink.
Ashwini Vaishnaw, Minister of Railways, Raosaheb Dadarao Patil Danve, Union Minister of State for Railways, Coal and Mines, Kapil Patil, Union Minister of Panchayati Raj and others were present at Thane on the occasion.
Earlier, Ashwini Vaishnaw and Raosaheb Danve inspected Thane railway station passenger amenities and travelled in a slow local from Thane to Diva and interacted with the passengers. Asked about the rehabilitation of around 25,000 families residing in illegal structures of railway land, Ashwini Vaishnaw said, keep in mind directions of Supreme Court, we are working for suitable solutions in coordination with state authorities.
"State government is ready to rehabilitate poor families residing in slums sick more than decades, railway needs to provide permission for the development of these slums under state slums rehabilitation scheme," housing minister of Maharashtra Jitendra Awhad had said earlier.
