Title - CR plans to connect Navi Mum and Pune

Central Railway (CR) is exploring the possibility of running train services via Harbour line between Kurla (suburban) and Pune’s Shivaji Nagar stations. Such a service will be a boon to citizens residing in Navi Mumbai as there’s no direct train connectivity between the satellite township andPune.
    At present, commuters from Navi Mumbai have to either rely on road transport or come to Dadar, LTT or CST to board a train toPune.
    For the proposal to turn into reality, officials will have to make some technical adjustments at Panvel station. A senior CRofficialsaid, “Panvelis a major junction for long-distancetrains aswell astheoriginating and terminating station for suburban services on Harbour line. A cross-over, the point at which trains interchange tracks, will have to be providedto allow movementof trains from the suburban line to the main line to establish connectivity to ShivajiNagar.”
    After ascertaining the feasibility of providing a crossover atPanvel,CRofficialswill forward the proposal to the railway board for approval. “Funding will not be an issue asthecostof providing a crossover is not really huge,” said another official.
    CRofficialssaidthey do not want to take the train all the way to Pune as it will result in longer travel time. The official said, “Running such a service up to Shivaji Nagar is sufficient as it is well connected to other partsof Pune.”
    The distance between Kurla and Shivaji Nagar is 170 km. While the number of services has not yetbeen decided,CRofficials said it will be run using 16 coaches used in mail/express trains. “These coaches have lavatories which are a must for journeys of such durations,” said the official. “The train willhaltonly atVashi,Belapur, Panvel, Karjat and Lonavla. Our aim is to limit the travel time between Kurla and Shivaji Nagar to less than 2 hours and 50 minutes. We cannot provide halt at other stations as that will increase the traveltime.”
    Currently, Deccan Queen, whichtakesthreehours and10 minutes to complete the journey from CST, is the fastest train from Mumbai to Pune. The official said, “The service will also boost the economy of the regions through which the train will pass.” At present, all Pune-bound trains except PragatiExpresstravel via Kalyan.
THE PROJECT
RAIL ROUTE | Kurla (suburban) to Shivaji Nagar
DISTANCE | 170 km
HALTS | Vashi, Belapur, Panvel, Karjat, Lonavla
NO. OF COACHES | 16
TARGETED TRAVEL TIME | 2 hrs 50 minutes
MAJOR CHALLENGE | Providing a cross-over, the point at which trains interchange tracks, at Panvel. There is no inter-connectivity between main line (longdistance) tracks and those of the Harbour line (suburban line). A cross–over will allow trains to change tracks Commuters from Navi Mumbai have to either rely on road transport or come to Dadar, LTT or CST to board a train to Pune. Deccan Queen (3 hrs 10 minutes) is the fastest train between CST and Pune CURRENT SCENE Services between Mumbai and Pune 33 Daily services between Mumbai and Pune 21