The Khardi-Kasara third line has been commissioned by Central Railway after receiving clearance from the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS), adding 13.53km of new track on the Kalyan-Kasara route and creating additional capacity on one of the Mumbai region’s heavily used rail corridors.
The CRS inspected the line on October 17 and 18 before clearing it for train operations at a maximum speed of 100kmph. A speed trial conducted during the process reached 117kmph, while the safety commissioner praised the construction quality, track work and safety arrangements, according to Central Railway.
The commissioning followed a 12-hour traffic block during the intervening night of October 17 and 18. During the block, railway teams completed major track connections and remodelled the Kasara yard, allowing the new line to be integrated with the existing railway network.
The Khardi-Kasara section is part of the wider Kalyan-Kasara third line project. The newly commissioned stretch passes through hilly terrain and required a range of civil and railway engineering works. These included laying an electrified track, strengthening and extending bridges, carrying out extensive earthwork, and upgrading signalling and electrification systems.
Work was also undertaken at the Khardi and Kasara yards. Yard remodelling is a crucial part of integrating an additional railway line because it affects how trains enter, leave and change tracks at operational junctions. The completion of these works was therefore necessary before the section could be opened for train operations.
The Kalyan-Kasara route serves passenger trains as well as freight services. At present, the newly commissioned section is expected to improve the operating capacity of the corridor, but the full benefits will depend on completion of the entire third line project. Central Railway said the additional track is expected to ease congestion, improve punctuality and increase capacity for both passenger and freight trains once the wider project is completed.
The corridor’s capacity is affected by the need to manage different types of railway services on the same network. Passenger services and freight trains have different operating patterns and schedules, while maintenance and operational blocks also require space within the available track system. The third line is intended to provide greater flexibility for managing these movements.
The CRS clearance and the successful speed trial mark the operational milestone for the Khardi-Kasara section. The immediate next step is the integration of the commissioned stretch into regular train operations, while the remaining portions of the Kalyan-Kasara third line project continue towards completion.
