The Kalyan-Kasara third railway line has received clearance for operations on a 13.53-km stretch between Kasara and Khardi, marking the first commissioned phase of Central Railway’s long-pending corridor expansion. The new line is expected to create additional capacity for suburban, long-distance and freight services on one of the Mumbai region’s most congested rail routes.
A Central Railway spokesperson confirmed that the Commissioner of Railway Safety gave the green signal for commissioning on Sunday morning after work on the stretch was completed. The Commissioner of Railway Safety inspected the new line on October 17 and 18 before authorising it for train operations.
A speed trial was conducted at 117 kmph, while the line has been cleared for operations at a maximum speed of 100 kmph. The commissioned section lies between Kasara and Khardi, at the edge of the challenging Thal Ghat section, where suburban services share the corridor with mail, express and freight trains.
The third-line project covers approximately 67 km between Kalyan and Kasara and is described as the longest bidirectional line under construction in the Mumbai division of Central Railway. In its first phase, work covers a 35-km section between Asangaon and Kasara. The completed 13.53-km Kasara-Khardi stretch forms part of that larger phase.
The Kalyan-Kasara corridor serves growing passenger loads from areas including Titwala, Asangaon and Kasara. With local trains and longer-distance services competing for available paths, the existing two-line section has faced capacity pressure. Central Railway expects the additional track to take some of that load away from the existing lines and improve the movement of trains.
The expansion is part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project initiative. Its stated objective is to separate suburban and long-distance train operations more effectively, allowing local services and mail, express and freight trains to move with fewer conflicts. The completed section is expected to support smoother operations at the Kasara end of the corridor, although the full benefits depend on completion of the remaining work towards Kalyan.
The Kalyan-Kasara-Karjat Railway Passengers’ Association welcomed the commissioning. Its president, Rajesh Ghanghav, described the opening of the first phase as a major development for passengers and urged the Railways to complete the remaining Khardi-Kalyan stretch at the earliest.
The original Asangaon-Kasara section of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, now part of Central Railway, opened on January 1, 1861. Doubling of the route began in 1865. The newly commissioned line is the latest addition to infrastructure intended to expand capacity on the historically important corridor. Further work on the remaining sections will determine when the complete third-line expansion becomes operational.
