Central line (Mumbai Suburban Railway)
 Central line | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Owner | Indian Railway |
| Locale | Mumbai, Maharashtra Raigad, Maharashtra Thane, Maharashtra |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 62 |
| Service | |
| System | Mumbai Suburban Railway |
| Operator(s) | Central Railway (CR) |
| Depot(s) | Kurla, Kalva, Matunga, Sanpada[1] |
| Rolling stock | BHEL, Siemens, Bombardier |
| Daily ridership | 2.9 million[2] |
| History | |
| Opened | 16 April 1853 |
| Technical | |
| Character | At Grade |
| Track gauge | 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) Broad gauge |
| Electrification | 25,000 V AC 1500 V DC (until 8 June 2015) |
The Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway is a public transit system serving Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It consists of 24 stations from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus) to Kalyan Junction. The entire line is at grade. It has section of quadruple track starting from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and ends at Kasara, Roha, Uran and Khopoli in Maharashtra.
The Central line in Mumbai consists of three major corridors, which bifurcate as they run into suburban satellite towns. Two corridors (one local and other through) on Central Railway run from CSMT to Kalyan Junction (55 km),[3] from where it bifurcates into two lines – one running up to Kasara (67 km) in the north-east and the other running up to Khopoli (61 km) in the south-east. These two corridors constitute the 'Main' Line. The Central main line shares one station with the Western line at Dadar. They consist of a fleet of DC as well as dual-powered EMUs.
The major car sheds on this line are at Kurla and Kalva. There are fast and slow locals here for suburban service. Slow locals halt at every station, while fast locals halts vary between Byculla, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Diva, Dombivli and Kalyan Junction. All services plying beyond this junction run slow. Trains usually start from and terminate at important stations.
Routes
The Central line consists of the following routes:
Stations
Names in bold indicate that the station is a fast train stop as well as important terminal.
Main line
| Central line (Main) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Distance from CST (km) | Station Name | Station Code | Connections |
| 1 | 0 | Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus | ST / CSMT | Harbour line |
| 2 | 1 | Masjid | MSD | Harbour line |
| 3 | 2 | Sandhurst Road | SNRD | Harbour line |
| 4 | 4 | Byculla | BY | none |
| 5 | 5 | Chinchpokli | CHP | none |
| 6 | 6.5 | Currey Road | CRD | none |
| 7 | 8 | Parel | PR | Prabhadevi† (Western line) |
| 8 | 9 | Dadar | D/DR | Western line |
| 9 | 11 | Matunga | MTN | none |
| 10 | 13 | Sion | SIN | none |
| 11 | 15 | Kurla | C/CLA | Harbour line |
| 12 | 18 | Vidyavihar | VVH | none |
| 13 | 21 | Ghatkopar | GC | Andheri / Versova (Mumbai Metro One) |
| 14 | 23 | Vikhroli | VK | none |
| 15 | 25 | Kanjurmarg | KJRD | none |
| 16 | 26 | Bhandup | BND | none |
| 17 | 28 | Nahur | NHU | none |
| 18 | 32 | Mulund | MLND | none |
| 19 | 34 | Thane | T/TNA | Trans-Harbour line and to Panvel (Harbour line via Trans-Harbour line) |
| 20 | 36 | Kalwa | KLVA | none |
| 21 | 40 | Mumbra | MBQ | none |
| 22 | 43 | Diva | DIVA | to Vasai Road/Panvel (Vasai Road – Bhiwandi Road - Diva – Panvel – Roha Route) |
| 23 | 47 | Kopar | KOPR | none |
| 24 | 48 | Dombivali | DI | none |
| 25 | 50 | Thakurli | THK | none |
| 26 | 54 | Kalyan | K/KYN | to Kasara/Khopoli (Central line) |
†A footbridge links Parel to Prabhadevi on the Western line.
Main Line Branches
The main line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway runs from CSMT to Kalyan. It then splits into two corridors one going to Khopoli and other to Kasara.
South-east Section
| South-east Section | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Station Name | Station Code | Connections |
| 1 | Kalyan† | K/KYN | Central line (Main) |
| 2 | Vithalwadi | VLDI | none |
| 3 | Ulhasnagar | ULNR | none |
| 4 | Ambernath | A/ABH | none |
| 5 | Badlapur | BL/BUD | none |
| 6 | Vangani | VGI | none |
| 7 | Shelu | SHLU | none |
| 8 | Neral | NRL | Matheran Hill Railway |
| 9 | Bhivpuri Road | BVS | none |
| 10 | Karjat | S/ KJT | none |
| 11 | Palasdari | PDI | none |
| 12 | Kelavli | KLY | none |
| 13 | Dolavli | DLV | none |
| 14 | Lowjee | LWJ | none |
| 15 | Khopoli | KP/KHPL | none |
| † – Branch Line starts at Kalyan | |||
Proposed station
| # | Proposed | Preceding | Following |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | Chikhloli[4] | Ambernath | Badlapur |
North-east Section
| North-east Section | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Station Name | Station Code | Connections |
| 1 | Kalyan† | K/KYN | Central line (Main) |
| 2 | Shahad | SHAD | none |
| 3 | Ambivli | ABY | none |
| 4 | Titwala | TL / TWL | none |
| 5 | Khadavli | KDV | none |
| 6 | Vasind | VSD | none |
| 7 | Asangaon | AN/ASO | none |
| 8 | Atgaon | ATG | none |
| 9 | Thansit | THS | none |
| 10 | Khardi | KE | none |
| 11 | Umbermali | OMB | none |
| 12 | Kasara | N/KSRA | none |
| † – Branch Line starts at Kalyan | |||
Vasai Road–Diva–Panvel line
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The Vasai Road–Bhiwandi Road-Diva–Panvel–Roha line connects the Western line station of Vasai Road with the Harbour line station of Panvel. It intersects the main line of the Central line at Diva. MEMUs operate between Dahanu Road and Roha via a branch line from Diva.
| Vasai Road–Bhiwandi-Diva–Panvel–Roha line | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Station Name | Station Code | Connections |
| 1 | Vasai Road | BS/ BSR | Western line |
| 2 | Juchandra | JCNR | None |
| 3 | Kaman Road | KACR | None |
| 4 | Kharbao | KBV | None |
| 5 | Bhiwandi Road | BIRD | None |
| 6 | Kopar | KOPR | Central line |
| 7 | Diva | DIVA | Central line |
| 8 | Dativali | DTVL | None |
| 9 | Nilaje | NILJ | None |
| 10 | Taloja | TJPD | Navi Mumbai Metro |
| 11 | Navade Road | NVRD | None |
| 12 | Kalamboli | KLMC | None |
| 13 | Panvel | PL/ PNVL | Harbour line |
Nerul/CBD Belapur–Uran line
The Nerul/CBD Belapur–Uran rail track of 27 km is currently under construction.[5] The line is being constructed by CIDCO at a cost of ₹14.12 billion.[6] It is expected to be operational by 2015.[7]
The proposed railway stations are as follows:[8]
| Central line (Nerul/CBD Belapur–Uran) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| # | Station Name | Station Code | Connections |
| 1 | Nerul | NU | to Thane (Central line)† |
| CBD Belapur | BR | Harbour line | |
| 2 | Seawoods-Darave† | Harbour line | |
| 3 | Sagar Sangam | None | |
| 4 | Targhar | None | |
| 5 | Baman Dongari | None | |
| 6 | Kharkopar | KR | None |
| 7 | Gavan | None | |
| 8 | Ranjanpada | None | |
| 9 | Nhava Sheva | None | |
| 10 | Dronagiri | None | |
| 11 | Uran City | None | |
| †- when travelling from/to Nerul | |||
Electrification
CR converted the Central line from the previously used 1500 V DC electrification to 25,000 V AC on 5 May 2013 from Kalyan to Khopoli and Kalyan to Kasara.[9] Electrification on the Lokmanya Tilak Terminus-Thane-Kalyan section was completed on 12 January 2014.[10] The entire route between CSMT to Thane was converted from 1500 V DC electrification to 25,000 V AC on 8 June 2015; thus completing the entire Central line search.[11][12]
The conversion was expected to reduce maintenance-related failures The AC electrification system needs lighter overhead wires than that of DC, which has thicker and heavier contact wires and pantographs that are prone to fast wear and tear. The railway is estimated to save around ₹120 crore annually from reduced transmission loss and regenerative braking, and conserve 33% energy as a result of the conversion.[11]
Services
Since November 2011, all services on the Central line have been running on 12 cars. In preparation for introducing 15 car services, CR extended platforms at Byculla, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Mulund and Dombivli stations, from the current 270 metres to 330 metres,[13] in order to accommodate 15 coach trains. The total cost of the work was estimated at ₹37.5 million (US$450,000).[14] The first 15-car service, on the Central line, departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus to Kalyan at 7:33 pm on 16 October 2012.[15]
As of March 2014, 75 rakes operate 825 services on the Central line daily, of which 809 are 12-car and 16 are 15-car services.[11]
See also
References
- ^ TNN (2 August 2012). "Sanpada, Kurla sheds to clear rake service backlog". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ "Minor drop in deaths on tracks of Western Railways". The Times of India. 2 April 2012.
- ^ "Bonanza for Mumbai rail commuters". Business Standard. 15 March 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ http://www.pudhari.com/news/mumbai/102439.html [dead link]
- ^ "Nerul-Belapur-Uran rail line on track, likely to be completed in 4 years". Indian Express. 30 October 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Cidco begins work on Nerul-Uran rail link". Hindustan Times. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ PTI. "Business Line : Industry & Economy / Logistics : Nerul-Uran railway link to be ready by 2015: Cidco". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Cidco". Cidcoindia.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "From May 5, faster Central Railway with AC power" - Times Of India. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2013-04-30). Retrieved on 2013-07-16.
- ^ "Soon, faster trains on Kalyan-LTT route" - The Times of India. Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2014-01-13). Retrieved on 2014-06-11.
- ^ a b c "Central Railway plans DC/AC switch in May" - The Times of India. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2014-03-25). Retrieved on 2014-06-11.
- ^ "DC to AC conversion on Mumbai's Central Railways rail route completed". The Economic Times. Mumbai: PTI. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "CR still in two minds over 15car trains". Mumbai Mirror. 23 January 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
- ^ "15-car rakes: Central Railway invites bids for platform extension". The Times of India. 15 April 2012.
- ^ TNN (16 October 2012). "15-car Central Railway trains from today". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 March 2013.
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