There is good news for Mumbaikars staying along the Harbour line and in the satellite town of Navi Mumbai. In a decision that promises to ease railway passenger’s woes, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has cleared a proposal for running 12-car Harbour line trains on the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)-Panvel route. This would mean that the 10 lakh commuters presently travelling in 9-car trains on this 60-km route will have 33 per cent more room in every train.

Sources in the railways said that the proposal for clearance was moved on November 27, and was cleared by Chavan on the same day. “The proposal has been cleared by the CM,” confirmed Manukumar Srivastava, principal secretary, Urban Development department. The department was scrutinizing this Rs 714 crore project for long before it was finally submitted to the CM’s office.