19 October,2026 07:46 PM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Central Railway commissions first phase of Kalyan–Kasara third line (Pic/Special arrangement)
On Sunday morning, a critical missing piece in the long-pending rail corridor expansion on Central Railway finally fell into place, with the commissioning of the 13.53-km third line between Kasara and Khardi.
"Work had been going on for the past few days, and on Sunday morning, the Commissioner of Railway Safety gave his green signal for the commissioning of the line," a CR spokesperson confirmed the development.
The original existing Asangaon-Kasara section of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (now called Central Railway) had opened 164 years ago on 1st January 1861, and doubling started in 1865.
Wok on the third line between Kalyan and Kasara spans approximately 67 km, and it is the longest bi-directional line under construction in the Mumbai division of Central Railway. In phase one, work covers the 35 km midway between the Asangaon and Kasara sections, of which a 13.53 km stretch (between Kasara and Khardi) is now complete.
Situated at the edge of the challenging Thal Ghat section, the stretch is a small but significant addition to the larger effort to segregate suburban and long-distance train operations on the congested Kalyan-Kasara corridor.
The line is expected to ease train operations at the crucial Kasara end, where local services and mail and express trains share the same corridor.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) inspected the new line on October 17 and 18 before authorising it for train operations. A speed trial was successfully conducted at 117 kmph, while the line has been cleared for train operations at a maximum speed of 100 kmph.
The third line is expected to boost railway capacity, reduce congestion and improve punctuality on the Mumbai-Kasara corridor. Once the entire project is completed, it will facilitate smoother movement of suburban, long-distance and freight trains.
The project, part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) expansion initiative, aims to decongest the busy corridor and improve the movement of both local and long-distance services.
The express and freight trains compete with the suburban trains for slots as the passenger load of Titwala, Asangaon and Kasara is growing phenomenally, which makes it a very congested route. The third line will now take away some of the load on these two lines significantly.
"Today is a historic day for passengers travelling on the Kalyan-Kasara railway route. The first 14-km phase of the third line, between Kasara and Khardi, has been commissioned following clearance by the Commissioner of Railway Safety, bringing major relief to commuters.
On behalf of the Kalyan-Kasara-Karjat Railway Passengers' Association, we thank the railway administration for completing this important work efficiently and on time. "We have also urged the Railways to complete the remaining Khardi-Kalyan stretch at the earliest," Rajesh Ghanghav, president of the Kalyan-Kasara-Karjat Railway Passengers' Association, told Mid-Day.
