Finally, after 12 years, the first small section of Diva-Thane line will start operating from today. On Monday, about 1.6 km of the new rail lines and a tunnel will be in use as the first major connection works were being done throughout Sunday. Railways have appealed to people not to walk on tracks, which had remained idle for a long time and will be in regular use from Monday. A number of blocks will follow to complete the entire section by mid-January 2022.

“After the 18-hour block, suburban trains on the down slow line between Kalwa to Mumbra will be running on the new alignment from electric pole 36/21 to 38/7 and via new tunnel 1 for a length of approximately 1.6 km from December 20. After exiting the tunnel, the trains will run on the present down slow line,” said Shivaji Sutar, Central Railway’s chief public relations officer, who has been closely monitoring the developments since morning.