Diva to get new platform for fast, slow trains

There is good news for thousands of Diva commuters, who on January 2 were forced to carry out a crippling agitation to protest the tardy level of suburban commuting services at the rapidly-growing station.

What's the good news?
The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation, as part of the plans to add an extra pair of tracks between Thane and Diva, will be adding a new platform there, so that both fast and slow trains can halt at Diva.

What will it entail?
The plan calls for the construction of a new line on the western side of line number one — also called the down local line — and to make this new line as the down local line or the line on which trains will pass towards Kalyan and beyond. In a similar fashion, the nomenclature as well as the operating mechanism of other lines at Diva will be changed.
"The existing line number one or the Down Local towards Kalyan will become the Up Local or the slow line towards CST. The existing Up Local line will become Down Through, or the line on which fast trains towards Kalyan will pass. The existing Down Through will become the Up Through or the fast line towards CST. It will allow both slow and fast trains to halt at Diva which will give a lot of relief to the passengers who use the station," said a senior CR official.

Why this plan?
Officials believe that this is the best solution for the station as the other plan, demanded by politicians there, to start locals from Diva station towards CST during morning rush hour is not technically feasible at the moment.

Why isn't netas' demand feasible?
As mentioned first by dna in its January 7 edition, having trains starting at Diva towards CST would have inordinately delayed other trains coming from CST or Thane and moving towards Kalyan.
As Diva does not have terminal facilities that allow local trains to halt and go back, the train would have to stop at platform one, which is the slow line moving northwards towards Dombivli and Kalyan, and then move in the reverse direction. This whole process will take 10 minutes during which time slow trains will not be able to move towards Kalyan. That during morning peak hours will be a greater hassle, especially at Dombivli and Kalyan, which are far more crowded than Diva.

The larger picture
The new line on the west of platform number 1 at Diva is part of the Rs135 crore 5th and 6th line project between Thane and Diva. Currently, the 5th and 6th line exists between Kurla and Thane, and Diva and Kalyan, with the Thane-Diva stretch being a crucial gap.
However, the 5th and 6th line project is still far from complete, with Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation officials stating that the newest deadline is December 2016.
"It has some tough components. Like a road overbridge that will have to be built over the highway. Plus Diva yard, a huge one, will have to remodelled. The tunnel under Parsik Hills, around 165m long, is mostly complete, though track-laying work is left," said the official.

Know your tracks
In Mumbai's suburban system, thanks to the plethora of lines used by both suburban and long-distance trains, tracks are given particular nomenclature which reflect the way in which trains run on them.
Up Local: The track on which slow trains from any station run towards CST on CR and Churchgate on WR is called Up Local line. The Up direction in Mumbai's railway system is from north to south.
Down Local: The track on which slow trains starting from CST or Churchgate move to Thane, Kalyan, Borivli-Virar etc. The Down direction in Mumbai's system is south to north.
Up Through: Also called Up Fast, it is the line on which fast trains move towards CST or Churchgate. The direction is north to south.
Down Through: The line on which fast trains move from CST or Churchgate to stations in the northern parts of the city.