After a long delay of nearly 20 years, the Central Railway has laid out the fifth and sixth railway lines connecting the important railway stations of Thane and Kurla in Mumbai. With these lines, which also connect the long distance Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) with Thane and Kurla railway stations, lakhs of commuters using the Central Railway should see a reduction in their commuting time. The new tracks will be used exclusively for long distance trains, and will free up the other tracks for use by fast local trains on the suburban section. This will reduce frequent hold-ups which had been the norm till now. With the introduction of the new tracks, the Central Railway plans to introduce 48 new suburban local train services. Further, 19 pairs of long distance trains and five pairs of freight trains, running earlier on the tracks meant for fast suburban services, will be shifted to the new tracks.
