Commuters in Kalwa have demanded a home platform and halt of fast trains at Kalwa station to ease overcrowding. Over 1,000 commuters along with the Kalwa Parsik Rail Pravasi Sangh have signed an online petition with this demand.
More than 3.5 lakh commuters board the train at Kalwa station on a daily basis. They would benefit from this demand. Besides, Navi Mumbai and Ghodbunder residents would also benefit as Kalwa station is nearer compared to Thane or Airoli stations.
Commuters of Kalwa have been pressing for similar demands for almost 15 years now. “We have started an online petition demanding a home platform in Kalwa. Despite having fast train platforms, fast trains do not halt at Kalwa. Overcrowding is a constant problem that we have been facing,” said Siddhesh Desai, who works as HR professional and is a part of Kalwa Parsik Rail Pravasi Sangh.
“The trains from Kalyan and Dombivli arrive jam-packed at Kalwa in the morning, making it difficult to step on the footboard. Hence, we have to head to Thane and prefer a fast train or a starting train during peak hours,” said Sanjeev Pednekar, 53, a regular commuter.
As most starting trains at Thane initiate from Kalwa car shed, these trains are often found waiting outside Kalwa station for signal. “Instead, a halt can be planned at Kalwa station for some trains and reduce the load on the trains arriving from Kalyan or Dombivli. There have often been accidents due to overcrowding at Kalwa. Still commuters here are getting secondary treatment,” added Desai.
{{/usCountry}}As most starting trains at Thane initiate from Kalwa car shed, these trains are often found waiting outside Kalwa station for signal. “Instead, a halt can be planned at Kalwa station for some trains and reduce the load on the trains arriving from Kalyan or Dombivli. There have often been accidents due to overcrowding at Kalwa. Still commuters here are getting secondary treatment,” added Desai.
{{/usCountry}}Nandkumar Deshmukh, president, Thane Rail Pravasi Sangh, said, “Despite the launch of the fifth and sixth lines, the residents of Kalwa and Mumbra have not benefitted from it. The Mail or Express trains continue to use the existing tracks for suburban locals. There are crossings at Kalyan and Thane for Konkan trains, hence the new lines have not made any impact as they operate on the fast suburban lines.”
Meanwhile, Central Railway officials say it is not possible to have a home platform at every station. “Since the fifth and sixth lines have begun, during the Sunday Mega Block between Thane and Diva, there are services for Kalwa residents as well. Earlier, there was no halt at Kalwa during Mega Block but in the last few months, this has changed. In order to have a home platform, there are many technical points that need to be taken into consideration. The overall time table also changes to make way for a terminal. Hence, it will be difficult to take such a decision,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief PRO, Central Railway.
Moreover, for the benefit of main line commuters, 36 suburban trains were added in February by the Central Railway.
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