Mumbai, Aug 31 (IANS): As many as 12 rail projects, including a new suburban corridor, are underway in the Mumbai Division of the Central Railway, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a social media post late Friday.

According to Minister Vaishnaw, Phase 1 of the new fifth and sixth line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla is expected to be completed by the end of next year. The construction will "enhance local train services by segregating local and mail/express train movements".

In a post on X, he said that the sixth rail line between Mumbai Central and Borivali is underway. "8.9 km Khar-Goregaon stretch already completed and commissioned. Work on the remaining Goregaon-Borivali stretch is progressing rapidly," he said.

The extension of the Harbour Line from Goregaon-Borivali will help decongest the Andheri-Borivali section, Minister Vaishnaw said, adding that the land acquisition for the project is currently underway.

Similarly, the utility shifting work for the fifth and sixth rail lines between Borivali-Virar is currently in progress. The rail lines are expected to relieve stress on the Borivali-Palghar fast corridor, which will be left exclusively for suburban trains.

Earthwork and bridge construction are currently underway for the quadrupling of the Virar-Dahanu Road section. It is a "crucial infrastructure project that will greatly enhance rail connectivity and alleviate congestion in the region", he said.

Tunnelling and bridge construction are currently in progress for the Panvel-Karjat rail line. With the completion of the project, Mumbai is set to get a new suburban rail corridor. It will connect Navi Mumbai with the Raigad district and is part of efforts to reach untapped areas of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The first phase, Dighagaon station has been commissioned, while land acquisition is in progress for the remaining sections of the 3.3 km long Airoli-Kalwa elevated link. The project aims to establish seamless train connections between Vashi-Belapur and Kalyan.

Land acquisition is currently underway for the fourth railway line between Kalyan and Asangaon railway stations. The project will boost local train connectivity of Mumbai with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), enabling additional local train services.

Utility shifting, earthwork and bridge construction are currently underway for the third and fourth rail line between Kalyan-Badlapur, Minister Vaishnaw said, adding that the project will "speed up the train service and increase the number of local trains, meeting growing demand in this section".

Phase 1, from Asangaon to Kasara, of the Kalyan-Kasara third line is expected to be completed by next year. The completion of the project "will reduce congestion of busy Kalyan-Kasara Suburban and mail express route and will improve mobility of the trains", he said.

A Naigaon-Juichandra double chord line is being constructed to avoid engine reversals at Vasai for the trains originating from Mumbai Central, Dadar or Bandra Terminus for the Konkan Railway and southern India.

A 5-km-long chord line is also being constructed between Nilaje and Kopar. The project will cut train travel between Vasai and Panvel by around 15 to 20 minutes.