Kalyan, May 26: The Central Railway has approved the remodelling project of Kalyan station. At a cost of Rs 960 crore, the Railways aim to give Kalyan station a facelift in a bid to decongest it.

Among the measures planned by the Central Railway as part of the project include setting up of five to six new platforms, realignment of tracks and separate lines for long-distance trains.

The new platforms, a senior Railway official said, are aimed at diverting the long-distance trains away from the local line. The incumbent set-up at Kalyan stations forces the Railways to allow criss-cross movement of the trains, with the long-distance rakes using the local lines at several times throughout the day. "This leads to delay of trains and non-adherence to the schedule," he said.

The long-distance trains moving out from Kalyan, particularly towards Igatpuri and Titwala from platform no 4, 5 and 6, block the movement of local trains on platform no 2 and 3, the official explained.

Not only the criss-cross movement leads to delay of local trains, but also causes massive congestion of commuters on the platform.

The approval of the project was expedited in the backdrop of the stampede at Elphinstone Railway station last year, which led to the death of 23 commuters.

The Kalyan station, which also served as a junction, witnesses the to and fro movement of nearly 5 lakh commuters on daily basis. The station sells 2 lakh tickets per day. A total of 850 trains, including locals, express trains and long-distance trains move pass through the station each day.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 26, 2018 02:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).