Yet another level crossing (LC) gate that used to delay suburban and long-distance trains on Central Railway (CR) was permanently shut this week after a road bridge opened for traffic over it at Vithalwadi. With this, commuters can travel without any hindrance on a  five-km stretch. The LC road was very busy, with a traffic density of about six lakh road vehicles per annum, which used to detain many trains every day.

“The manned LC gate No. 1A between Kalyan and Vithalwadi has been closed for road traffic since now the option of this new ROB flyover has been made available for motorists,” a Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) spokesperson said. Another rail official said, “Now, a continuous five-km stretch of Kalyan-Vithalwadi-Ulhasnagar and some portion of the Ulhasnagar-Ambarnath section have become free of any level crossing gates. It will make suburban local and mail express trains on this section safer and more punctual, and also help to increase the speed of these trains.”