CR sends proposal for new signalling system, to improve frequency of Mumbai’s trains

With better communication, the system will increase frequency of trains, reducing time between departures to 2 minutes from existing 4-5

After a meeting convened by Union railway minister Piyush Goyal last week, the Central Railway (CR) has sent fresh proposals for implementation of their ambitious communication-based train control (CBTC) system on the main and harbour lines.

With better communication, the system will increase the frequency of the trains, reducing their headway (time between departures of two trains) to two minutes from the existing 4-5 minutes. (FILE)

With better communication, the system will increase the frequency of the trains, reducing their headway (time between departures of two trains) to two minutes from the existing 4-5 minutes.

The proposal for harbour line is worth Rs4,000 crore, while for the main line is worth Rs9,000 crore.

A senior railway official said the CR has proposed implementation of CBTC between CST-Panvel on harbour line and up till Kasara and Karjat on the main line.

The estimated project cost also includes procurement of new locals, as the zonal railway will require at least 21 more locals for harbour line and around 45 trains from the main line.

The railway officials also hoping that Goyal will put the ambitious project back on tracks, as the existing railway tracks have almost saturated and there is no scope to add new services, despite the constant demand.

In the beginning of October, Goyal asked railway officials to junk the project when some officials explained there would be repercussions on the flow of good trains. Hence, stating that the problems with CBTC are more than the outcomes, he had asked to scrap the proposal.

Sources said the railway officials, however, convinced him about the necessity of the project for Mumbai’s suburban network during the meeting at a private hospital, where Goyal was going through treatment in the end of November.