Mumbai-Delhi rail distance just got longer

The 1,384-km railway distance between Mumbai and New Delhi just got a few metres longer. It is due to a new rail alignment parallel to the existing one to avoid a bridge in ‘distress’ between Virar and Dahanu Road as trains enter and leave Mumbai on Western Railway.

“Two bridges between Vangaon and Dahanu Road had become very old and had been declared dangerous. The bridges also required major alterations for suburban trains to ply on them. This is when we decided to build a parallel line and two new bridges that would be fit to ferry long-distance and suburban trains,” a senior official, working on the project, said.

“We have built a fresh line of about 3.5-km parallel to the existing line. The alignment separates from the existing one and is on the right side of the line as you move from Churchgate. The distance has increased by a few metres, but it will not take additional time for trains to negotiate the new curve,” he said.

“The increased distance could range between 50 and 100 metres. The increased distance can be covered by trains in minutes and will not make a big time difference in the train’s running time,” he added.

“Work on the new line began on January 15 and will be completed by February 2012 at a cost of Rs33 crore,” WR spokesperson Sharat Chandrayan said.

Once the two bridges over the creek are ready, they will also facilitate plying of direct Churchgate-Dahanu trains in a year. Local trains are 12-feet wide and need more space to pass. The two new rail bridges located between Vangaon and Dahanu stations will allow this.