Mumbai, November 11: The new local Railway line stretching from Nerul to Kharkopar in Ulwe has commenced operations from today. The time-table and schedule of the new suburban corridor has been released. The first train in the morning towards Kharkopar, the station based in rapidly urbanising Ulwe, will commence from Belapur at 6:22am. The last train, on the other hand, will leave Kharkopar at 10pm.

The 12-km train route is part of the first phase of Railway grid to be laid down between Uran and Navi Mumbai. The route covers four stops Nerul, Belapur -- in Navi Mumbai -- Bamandongri and Kharkopar, in Ulwe. Centre Approves Rs 65,000 Crore to Revamp Mumbai Suburban Railway.

The train line was inaugurated on Sunday by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal, who was accompanied by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The full-time regular services began today.

Nerul-Seawoods-Uran Local Trains Timetable & Schedule:

The Ulwe node -- where Kharkopar and Bamandongri sites are based -- is located opposite the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. This is the first suburban corridor in the Mumbai metropolitan region in 13 years and comes after the Trans- Harbour Line, connecting Thane with Navi Mumbai, was thrown open in 2005.

Speaking after commissioning of the corridor at the Kharpokar railway station, Fadnavis said in the modern era transportation and mobility play key role in human settlement.

"In earlier days of civilisation, people would settle near rivers where they could easily get water. But now people start habitation at places which are equipped with means of transportation and mobility," he said.

Fadnavis said large-scale investments are being made in Mumbai's suburban railway network to enhance connectivity and improve passenger amenities.

"We are also investing Rs 1 lakh crore in various metro projects that will also be integrated with suburban networks," the chief minister said.

The Seawoods-Belapur-Uran line was conceived in late 1990s to augment the Harbour rail network. The commissioning of the new rail corridor was to take place in December 2017, but it got delayed by nearly a year.

The CR will operate 40 services daily from Monday, of which 20 will run between Kharkopar and Nerul and the rest between Belapur and Kharkopar stations.

The 27-km-long project is coming up at a cost of Rs 1,782 crore. The second phase, on which work is currently going on, will stretch from Kharkopar to Uran, a coastal town in Raigad district.

"Once fully functional, the entire corridor will benefit the Navi Mumbai Airport, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trusts container port at Nhava Sheva and fishing communities in the region and also connect Panvel, Pen, Roha and CSMT," said an official of state-run town planning agency CIDCO. The project cost is being shared by the Railways and CIDCO in the ratio of 33:67 per cent.

(With agency inputs)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 12, 2018 11:52 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).