5 years on, Digha railway station yet to be commissioned; commuters fume | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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5 years on, Digha railway station yet to be commissioned; commuters fume

Jun 06, 2023 12:52 AM IST

The work for the Digha railway station began in 2018. “We have long been waiting for this station as we are in the middle of Airoli and Thane. There is a large population residing in Digha. The residents have to travel all the way to Airoli or Thane to take a train,” said Krishna Patil, 27, a resident of Digha

Navi Mumbai: Regular train commuters on the Trans-Harbour route are upset as well as perplexed due to the long delay in the commissioning of Digha railway station despite the railways giving assurances and elected representatives following up on the matter.

Thane MP Rajan Vichare, who had inspected the station work in February and declared that the station will be commissioned in a month based on inputs from the railway officials, has now written to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav and MoS Railway Raosaheb Danve, on the delay. (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)
Thane MP Rajan Vichare, who had inspected the station work in February and declared that the station will be commissioned in a month based on inputs from the railway officials, has now written to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav and MoS Railway Raosaheb Danve, on the delay. (Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO)

The work for the Digha railway station began in 2018. “We have long been waiting for this station as we are in the middle of Airoli and Thane. There is a large population residing in Digha. The residents have to travel all the way to Airoli or Thane to take a train,” said Krishna Patil, 27, a resident of Digha.

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He was confused about how it can take five years to construct a railway station. “We came to the region expecting train connectivity and are trapped here now. The area is also fast becoming an IT hub with several offices being set up here,” added Patil.

Twenty-four-year-old Rajesh Nair is a resident of Vashi and works in an IT firm in Digha. He is shelling out extra pennies to travel daily to Navi Mumbai or Thane in an autorickshaw to catch the train. “This costs us extra time and money daily. “We have been hearing about the station being ready for commissioning since last year. Even the media has been reporting on it since January, but the deadlines have been repeatedly missed,” he added.

Nair claimed that in February this year, the authorities said that 95% of the work was completed. “The remaining work should have been completed by now. What is causing the delay then?” he added.

Digha railway station is Phase I of the Airoli-Kalwa elevated rail corridor project. Phase II has also been delayed over land acquisition issues. The corridor project costing 476 crore, has been undertaken by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) under Mumbai Urban Transport Project III.

Apart from providing immediate relief to commuters residing in the Digha area, the station will eventually provide direct access to lakhs of people from Navi Mumbai to the Kalyan-Dombivli areas, bypassing Thane railway station once the Airoli-Kalwa elevated corridor project is completed.

“Many people travel from Kalyan, Dombivli, Ambernath and Badlapur for work to Navi Mumbai daily. They have to come to Thane railway station first and then take another train on the Trans-Harbour line towards Vashi or Panvel,” Wasim Kazi, 30, a resident of Ambernath who commutes to Navi Mumbai for work, said.

Meanwhile, Thane MP Rajan Vichare, who had inspected the station work in February and declared that the station will be commissioned in a month based on inputs from the railway officials, has now written to railway minister Ashwini Vaishnav and MoS Railway Raosaheb Danve, on the delay.

Explaining the significance of the project, Vichare said, “The project is crucial as currently, the busy Thane railway station is burdened due to commuters from Navi Mumbai and the other cities. The Airoli-Kalwa elevated corridor will provide direct access between these cities and reduce the burden on Thane railway station by almost 40%, thereby providing relief to Thane commuters as well.”

When contacted, Central Railway (CR) chief public relation officer Shivaji Sutar said there are pending works at the station, like lighting, internal cabling and wiring and other works involving various departments.

When asked about the commissioning of the station, he said, “We have not yet decided on the date. It will be done after consultation with various departments involved in the pending work.”

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