Title - Kurla-Pune rail link plan gathers steam

Central Railway (CR)’s plan to link Kurla with Pune via Harbour line is moving closer to turning into reality. A feasibility study conducted by CR has confirmed that the two destinations can be connected via Harbour line.
  TOIhad,in its September 23 edition, reported that CR was exploring the possibility of running train services on the Kurla-Shivaji Nagar route.
  CR general manager SubodhJain said, “Workwillbegin after approval is received from the commissioner of railway safety,centralcircle. We plan to run thisserviceby introducing main line electrical multiple unit (MEMU).”
  From Kurla, the train will originate andterminate at platforms 9 and 10, which have not been in usefor morethan a decade.Explaining thechallenges, a CR official said, “Major remodeling of yards will have to be carried out at Panvel and Kurla.Acrossover (the point at which trains interchange tracks) will have to be provided in Panvel to allow the movement of trains from suburban line to the main line to establish connectivity to Shivaji Nagar. A crossover will also have to be built at Kurla besides carrying out work to revive the defunct platforms.”
  The official said, “Work on yard remodeling would not cost more than Rs 2-2.5 crore and can be completed within three to four months.”
  Explaining the need for such a service, an official said, “There 33 services between Mumbai and Pune. Of these, 21 are daily. But there is no direct rail service between Navi Mumbai andPuneeven though the vehicular traffic between these two cities is enormous.”
  CR plans to cover the 170-km distance between Kurla and ShivajiNagar within three hours. The official said, “This can be achieved only by giving halts at limited stations like Vashi, Belapur, Panvel, Karjat and Lonavla.”
  Deccan Queen, the fastest train to run between Mumbai and Pune, takes three hours and 10 minutes to cover the distance between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) and Pune. CR plan plans to run 16-coach services with conventionalcoachesusedin mail/express trains. The official said, “The actual number of serviceswilldependon the availability of MEMU, which is in short supply. The timetable will also have to planned to ensure that the these services did not cut into the running time of regular Harbour line services.