Goyal inaugurates extended line; 70 trains to get AC coaches

The Central Railway’s Harbour line was on Thursday night extended up to Goregaon, after a four-year delay.

The Harbour line till now ran from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Andheri and Panvel. The extended line, which will be a boon to commuters, was inaugurated by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal after an inaugural ceremony marked by a two-hour delay.

A total 49 services are expected to run from April 1, of which 42 will be between CSMT and Goregaon, and seven between Churchgate and Goregaon. CR might extend a few Panvel-Andheri services to Goregaon.

Mr. Goyal announced that local trains will soon have a few AC coaches. “Soon, 70 local trains will have three AC coaches. Around 250-300 services will run daily with this combination. There will be an AC coach reserved for ladies and there will also be a 2nd class in AC soon,” Mr. Goyal said.

The minister said the eventual plan was to connect Borivali to CSMT. Mr. Goyal said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had asked for a comprehensive vision that will serve the city for fifty years. As a result, projects worth ₹54,777 crore have been sanctioned. On March 31, Mr. Goyal and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will go to Latur for the ground-breaking ceremony of a coach factory. The event was attended by MP Gopal Shetty, Goregaon MLA Vidya Thakur, and other MLAs.

The extended corridor will ease pressure on Western Railway services, which are used by nearly 35 lakh passengers daily. The Goregaon-Churchgate services are expected to reduce pressure on trains to Borivali.

The project was implemented by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation under the second phase of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project, at a total cost of ₹214 crore.