The Konkan Railway on Thursday announced that it had taken over operations of the Navi Mumbai Metro and the 35-km India-Nepal rail line. It also plans to double sections of its main line along the western coast to boost capacity. The Konkan Railway stated that it had already submitted a comprehensive plan for “patch doubling” to the railway board for approval. With this patch doubling, the railway would be able to operate more trains. Currently, it operates 52 mail express trains and 18 freight trains daily.

“We will be looking at doubling the length of the line in patches and sections like Madgaon to Thokur and Kankavali to Sawantwadi. We are waiting for approval from the railway board,” Konkan Railway Chairman and Managing Director Santosh Kumar Jha said. The Konkan Railway operates a 741-km route stretching from Roha in Maharashtra to Thokur in Karnataka. It was electrified in March 2022. The line has 68 stations and four halt stations.