Surat, Gujarat: The long-anticipated third railway line connecting Udhna and Surat stations, a project that spanned over three years, is now complete. This new development will allow Mumbai-Delhi main line trains to maintain their speeds without the need to pause at Surat station, fostering smoother transitions for both Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Delhi trains.
The newly-laid third line will now undergo a Critical Rail Safety (CRS) inspection, which is the final step before trains begin to operate on this track. This upgrade is expected to increase train regularity and alleviate the problem of overloading on the main line, a challenge that has persisted for many years.
Surat railway station, according to railway insiders, has been under severe strain due to high train traffic. The station is located just 4 kilometers from Udhna Junction, which provides a crucial line that extends to cities like Chennai, Howrah, and Puri via Jalgaon-Bhusaval. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad and Mumbai-Delhi trains were often disrupted due to the Bhusaval line trains crossing paths with them.
To alleviate these issues, Western Railway decided to establish a third railway line between Udhna and Surat four years ago. The idea was to create a separate lane for main line trains to eliminate any disruptions. Construction started three years ago, with about 80 percent of the work completed until six weeks ago, and the remaining 20 percent wrapped up in the past one and a half months.
The new line will ensure that trains heading to Howrah, Chennai, Puri via Jalgaon-Bhusaval and those arriving from Bhusaval will now use the third line, relieving Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Delhi main line trains from potential disruptions. Western Railway has requested a CRS inspection and anticipates the operation of trains from the third line upon successful inspection.
This development is in line with similar efforts in Gujarat where third lines have been commissioned between Ahmedabad-Vatwa and Mehsana-Jagudan railway stations.
