Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi dedicated to the Nation two additional railway lines connecting Thane and Diva today via video conferencing. He also flagged off two suburban trains of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Governor and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Union Railway Minister were among those present on the occasion.
The Prime Minister started his address with paying tributes to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj whose Janam Jayanti falls tomorrow. The Prime Minister called Shiva ji Maharaj India’s pride, identity and protector of India’s culture.
Greeting Mumbaikar on the fifth and sixth rail line connecting Thane and Diva, the Prime Minister said that these lines will bring ease of life for the residents of the ever-mobile metropolitan. The Prime Minister underlined four direct benefits of the two lines. Firstly, separate lines for local and express trains; secondly, trains coming from other states will not have to wait for passing of local trains; thirdly, mail/express trains can be run without much obstruction in Kalyan to Kurla section and, finally, Kalwa Mumbra commuter will not be troubled due to blockage every Sunday. He said that these lines and 36 new local trains on the central railway lines which are mostly AC are part of central government’s commitment to expanding and modernising the facility of local trains.
Recalling the contribution of the metropolitan city of Mumbai in the progress of independent India, the Prime Minister said that now the effort is to increase Mumbai’s capability manifold with regard to its contribution for Aatmnirbhar Bharat. “That is why our special focus is on creating 21st century infrastructure for Mumbai”, the Prime Minister said. Thousands of crore rupees are being invested in rail connectivity in Mumbai as Mumbai Suburban Rail system is being equipped with the latest technology. The Prime Minister also said that efforts are on for adding additional 400 Kms in the Mumbai Suburban and 19 stations are planned to be modernised with facilities like modern CBTC signal system.
The Prime Minister said that “Ahmadabad-Mumbai High Speed Rail is country’s need and it will strengthen Mumbai’s identity as city of dreams. Completing this project rapidly is our priority”, he said.
Prime Minister said even Corona pandemic could not shake the government’s commitment to make Indian Railways more safe, convenient and modern. During the last two years, the Prime Minster said, Railways made new records in freight transportation. 8 thousand Km railway line was electrified and 4.5 thousand Km line was doubled in this time period. During Corona period, farmers were connected to country-wide markets through Kisan Rails, he said.
Talking about the changed approach of New India regarding completion of infrastructure projects, the Prime Minister pointed out that in the past projects lingered due to lack of coordination from planning to execution stages. This made creation of 21st century infrastructure impossible, that is why, he said that PM Gatishakti Plan was conceived. The plan will bring every department of central government, state government’s local bodies and private sector on one platform. This will provide relevant information well in advance to all stakeholders for proper planning and coordination.
Shri Modi lamented the thought process that prevent sufficient investment in the resources used by the poor and middle class. This, he said, kept shine off the public transport in the country. “Now India is moving forward, leaving behind this thinking”, he said.
The Prime Minister listed measures that are giving new face to Indian Railways. He said that modern stations like Gandhinagar and Bhopal are fast becoming the identity of Indian railways and more than 6000 railway stations have been connected with wifi facility. Vande Bharat Trains are giving new momentum and modern facilities to railway in the country. 400 new Vande Bharat will be launched in the coming years in the service of the nation, the Prime Minister said.
Kalyan is the main junction of Central Railway. The traffic coming from North side and Southern side of the country merge at Kalyan and moves towards CSMT (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus). Out of the four tracks between Kalyan and CSTM, two tracks were used for slow local trains and two tracks for fast local, Mail Express and Goods trains. To segregate suburban and long distance trains, two additional tracks were planned.
The two additional railway lines connecting Thane and Diva have been built at the approx cost of Rs 620 crores and features 1.4 km long rail flyover, 3 major bridges, 21 minor bridges. These lines will significantly remove the interference of long distance train’s traffic with suburban train’s traffic in Mumbai. These lines will also enable the introduction of 36 new suburban trains in the city.
कल छत्रपति शिवाजी महाराज की जन्मजयंती है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
सबसे पहले मैं भारत के गौरव, भारत की पहचान और संस्कृति के रक्षक देश के महान महानायक के चरणों में प्रणाम करता हूँ: PM @narendramodi
ठाणे-दिवा के बीच नई बनी पांचवीं और छठी रेल लाइन के शुभारंभ पर हर मुंबईकर को बहुत-बहुत बधाई।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
ये नई रेल लाइन, मुंबई वासियों के जीवन में एक बड़ा बदलाव लाएंगी, उनकी Ease of Living बढ़ाएगी।
ये नई रेल लाइन, मुंबई की कभी ना थमने वाली जिंदगी को और अधिक रफ्तार देगी: PM @narendramodi
आज से सेंट्रल रेलवे लाइन पर 36 नई लोकल चलने जा रही हैं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
इनमें से भी अधिकतर AC ट्रेनें हैं।
ये लोकल की सुविधा को विस्तार देने, लोकल को आधुनिक बनाने के केंद्र सरकार के कमिटमेंट का हिस्सा है: PM @narendramodi
मुंबई महानगर ने आज़ाद भारत की प्रगति में अपना अहम योगदान दिया है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
अब प्रयास है कि आत्मनिर्भर भारत के निर्माण में भी मुंबई का सामर्थ्य कई गुणा बढ़े।
इसलिए मुंबई में 21वीं सदी के इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर निर्माण पर हमारा विशेष फोकस है: PM @narendramodi
अहमदाबाद-मुंबई हाई स्पीड रेल आज मुंबई की, देश की आवश्यकता है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
ये मुंबई की क्षमता को, सपनों के शहर के रूप में मुंबई की पहचान को सशक्त करेगी।
ये प्रोजेक्ट तेज़ गति से पूरा हो, ये हम सभी की प्राथमिकता है: PM @narendramodi
अतीत में इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर प्रोजेक्ट्स सालों-साल तक इसलिए चलते थे क्योंकि प्लानिंग से लेकर एग्जीक्यूशन तक तालमेल की कमी थी।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
इस अप्रोच से 21वीं सदी भारत के इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर का निर्माण संभव नहीं है।
इसलिए हमने पीएम गतिशक्ति नेशनल मास्टरप्लान बनाया है: PM @narendramodi
बरसों से हमारे यहां एक सोच हावी रही कि जो साधन-संसाधन गरीब इस्तेमाल करता है, मिडिल क्लास इस्तेमाल करता है, उस पर निवेश नहीं करो।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
इस वजह से भारत के पब्लिक ट्रांसपोर्ट की चमक हमेशा फीकी ही रही।
लेकिन अब भारत उस पुरानी सोच को पीछे छोड़कर आगे बढ़ रहा है: PM @narendramodi
गांधीनगर और भोपाल के आधुनिक रेलवे स्टेशन रेलवे की पहचान बन रहे हैं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) February 18, 2022
आज 6000 से ज्यादा रेलवे स्टेशन WiFi सुविधा से जुड़ चुके हैं।
वंदे भारत ट्रेनें देश की रेल को गति और आधुनिक सुविधा दे रही है।
आने वाले वर्षों में 400 नई वंदे भारत ट्रेनें देशवासियों को सेवा देना शुरू करेंगी: PM