India's second railway destination
Only a year after India's first passenger train ran from Bori Bunder to Thane in 1853, the Great Indian Peninsula Railway pushed on to Callian, as Kalyan was then spelt. The Thane–Kalyan extension was let to contractor Jamsetjee Dorabjee in May 1852 and finished in April 1854. On 1 May 1854, a train carrying the Governor, Lord Elphinstone, and about 250 guests left Bori Bunder at 4:50 p.m. and reached Callian at 6:10 p.m., opening Kalyan Junction (code KYN).
Where the line divides
Kalyan, about 54 km north-east of Mumbai, is the point where the Central Railway's main line splits in two, and the two branches climb the Western Ghats by different routes:
| Branch | Ghat | Leads to |
|---|---|---|
| North-east to Kasara | Thal Ghat | Igatpuri, Nashik, Manmad, Bhusaval and north India |
| South-east to Karjat | Bhor Ghat | Lonavala, Pune and South India |
A third ghat route, a Kalyan–Ahmednagar line through the Malshej Ghat with an 18.96 km tunnel, has been proposed.
A suburban giant
Kalyan handles about 360,000 passengers a day, most of them commuters on the Central line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway. Long-distance trains on the Howrah–Nagpur–Mumbai, Howrah–Prayagraj–Mumbai and Mumbai–Chennai routes also stop here. There are 8 platforms, with 6 more under construction, on more than 20 tracks; platforms 2–3, 4–5 and 6–7 share common islands. A Mumbai Metro Line 5 station is being built nearby.
Engines at Kalyan
Kalyan has both an electric loco shed to the north-east and a diesel loco shed to the south-east. As of August 2025 the diesel shed held 102 active locomotives of the WDG-3A, WDM-3D, WDG-4 and WDP-4 classes.
Remembering 1991
On 8 November 1991, a bomb exploded on a train at Kalyan, killing twelve people and injuring 65.
Using Kalyan well
- Long-distance trains from Mumbai often stop briefly at Kalyan, which can save the trip into the city; check in our timetable search.
- Peak suburban hours are extremely crowded; time long-distance connections outside the rush where you can.