<span style="color: #222222;">Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that the government is committed to provide a convenient, safe, and modern travel experience to all its rail commuters. He was speaking after inaugurating the newly constructed two additional railway lines between Thane and Diva on Mumbai's busy suburban rail network. <br />''<br />''Addressing the event via video conferencing, Mr. Modi said these two lines will not only enhance 'ease of living' but also accelerate the development of Mumbai Metropolitan Region, on the whole. These much-awaited additional lines have been built at the approximate cost of 620 crore rupees and feature 1.4 km long rail flyover, 170-meter long tunnel, 3 major bridges, and 21 minor bridges. Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray also attended the inaugural ceremony virtually.<br />''<br />''AIR correspondent reports that Asserting that Mumbai has played a huge contribution to the country's development post-independence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said that an equally huge contribution is expected of the city for the progress of AatmaNirbhar Bharat. Mr. Modi said the development of public transport, which is used by millions of poor and middle-class people is no longer being ignored and hence speedy work is going on for the construction of Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Corridor, expansion of suburban and Metro rail facilities, modernizing of railway stations and signaling systems.<br />''<br />''Talking about the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan for Multimodal Connectivity, Mr. Modi said it is playing an important role in streamlining all processes from planning to execution of infrastructure projects that are necessary to build a modern 21st century India. Thanking the engineers, labourers, and railway staff for working non-stop even during the COVID pandemic, Mr. Modi said Railway Board Factories are setting new benchmarks by indigenously building VistaDome coaches and signaling systems besides successfully running the Vande Bharat trains. <br />''<br />''Also present on the occasion, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw thanked the Prime Minister for allocating a record 11,903 crore rupees for various rail projects in Maharashtra for financial year 2022-23. Talking about the newly inaugurated additional railway lines, Mr. Vaishnaw said that it will not only ease congestion but also help in increasing local services, thus benefiting close to 3.5 crore passengers annually. With the commissioning of this 9.44-kilometer railway line between Diva and Thane, the entire 36-kilometer long route between Lokmanya Tilak Terminus and Kalyan Junction will now have six lanes, two for running slow locals, two for fast trains, and the new ones for long-distance and goods trains.</span>