Mumbai local now at less than 3 min? Vaishnaw pitches idea at city meet

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Friday conducted detailed meetings with the citys railway officials including CR WR MRVC and the KR and for the first time stressed that the headaway of trains should be further cut down from the existing 180 seconds 3 minIn a daylong meeting in Mumbai Vaishnaw conducted detailed reviews of ongoing projects aimed at capacity enhancement and infrastructure augmentationSpecific attention was given to the progress and future trajectories of projects like MUTP III amp III A as well as the acquisition of AC EMU rakes The meeting highlighted plans for advanced signalling systems like AWS Kavach and CBTC with an emphasis on ensuring minimal disruption to Mumbais suburban operations and addition of capacity by reducing the headway from existing 180 seconds in cautious manner after accumulation of adequate expertise and ensuring the steadfastness of the systems an official saidThe meeting was attended by senior officials from Central Railway Western Railway Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation MRVC Konkan Railway Corporation Limited KRCL and other pertinent railway entitiesThe meeting commenced with a comprehensive presentation outlining strategic railway projects underway across Maharashtra These encompassed crucial initiatives for enhancing capacity infrastructure and safety including plans for major coaching terminals in Mumbai Discussions also touched upon collaborations with Municipal Bodies and other stakeholders During the deliberations Vaishnaw emphasised several key priorities including the augmentation of Mumbais suburban rail capacity enhancing safety measures for longdistance trains and integrating railway stations with urban landscapes he addedVaishnaw emphasised on structural audit of various infrastructures stressing the importance of disaster management capabilities within Indian Railways and their preparedness in any eventualityCR updatesCentral Railway shared insights into their initiatives to enhance capacity by mega coaching terminals planned at Parel Kalyan LTT and Panvel Kalamboli along with various infrastructural upgradation proposals underway and in various phasesWR updatesWestern Railway provided updates on critical projects such as the 5th6th line and Virar Dahanu Quadrupling while issues regarding land acquisition for the Vasai ByPass line and the extension of the Harbour line were deliberated uponDiscussions further encompassed infrastructural developments at various stations and other key stations alongside projects aimed at enhancing passenger amenities such as lifts escalators and ROB maintenanceRepresentatives from KRCL briefed on their unique challenges and ongoing projects aimed at enhancing capacity and developing worldclass infrastructure Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation provided updates on their various ongoing works including the ambitious NagpurNagbhir Gauge Conversion Project set to conclude by yearendThe meeting concluded with a directive to expedite decisionmaking processes and ensure seamless execution of planned initiatives for the benefit of commuters and the economy at large