Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate two new railway lines in Maharashtra, linking Thane and Diva on Friday,
The virtual inauguration for the fifth and sixth lines between the two locations will begin at 4.30 pm.
Modi will also signal the start of two suburban trains in the Mumbai suburban railway section.
PM Modi will deliver a speech on the occasion after the inauguration, according to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
The railway lines were built at a cost of 620 crores as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP 2B). In 2008, two new railway lines were authorised to separate suburban and long-distance trains.
The railway lines will include a 1.4-kilometer rail flyover, three main bridges, and 21 smaller bridges that will greatly reduce long-distance train traffic interruption.
Slow local trains used two of the four existing tracks between Kalyan and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSTM), while fast local, mail express, and cargo trains used the other two.
The new lines will also aid in the installation of 36 new suburban trains in the city, according to the statement. They will make it possible for the Railways to provide 80 to 100 additional local trains by the end of the year, easing crowding between CSTM and Kalyan/ Karjat and Kasara.
The Railways will be able to run both suburban local and outstation trains on separate tracks between Thane and Diva which will increase train punctuality.