Work on the much-awaited 9-km stretch of the Diva-Thane rail line that has been on for 11 years will finally move ahead now, with the arrival of the bird cage girders which are to be put across National Highway 48.

The girders that have reached the site from Rajasthan are 76 metres long and weigh 350 tons. They will help create two new tracks and cross over the NH-48 near Retibunder, Mumbra. The creek bridge is nearly done and this was the last big crucial part of the alignment that needs to be completed. "A block will have to be taken in co-ordination with the traffic police and local authorities, details of which will be worked out soon," a senior railway official said.