Third rail line between Khardi and Kasara cleared by Railway Safety Commissioner for 100 kmph

There is good news for rail commuters in Mumbai and its suburbs. A third railway line has been built between Khardi and Kasara stations on the Kalyan-Kasara line of Central Railway's Mumbai division. The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) has given official approval to run passenger trains on it.

The new line is expected to ease the daily disruption to local trains on Central Railway. The late-running that locals suffer may now become a thing of the past, though that is only a possibility.

Lakhs of people travel to Mumbai for work every day from suburban areas including Titwala, Asangaon and Kasara. But this route had only a limited number of lines to run locals, long-distance mail and express trains, and goods trains. Train operations were therefore under heavy pressure.

In particular, suburban local timetables were thrown off while making way for long-distance trains, and commuters bore the cost. With the third line now operational, the railway administration has a better option for planning train movements.

The entire Kalyan-Kasara third line project is 67 km long. The 13.53 km stretch between Kasara and Khardi is fully ready and has been opened to traffic.

The Commissioner of Railway Safety carried out a detailed inspection of the new line on October 17. A speed trial was then held on the line with a special train on October 18. The trial was successful, after which trains were cleared to run on the line at 100 km per hour.

A safety precaution has also been taken. Minor defects have been found in the foundations of some signals in the yard at Khardi station. Instructions have therefore been issued to keep train speed to 30 km per hour for 100 metres on either side of such signals.

The third line will bring a major improvement in train operations and time management. However, the railway administration has so far made no firm announcement on how much travel time the project will save, or whether Mumbai-bound local services will be increased.