CSMT platform extensions to be completed well before time

Central Railway authorities are expediting work to extend Platforms 12 and 13 at Mumbai's CSMT to accommodate longer trains, increasing capacity by 20%.

MUMBAI: There’s good news for long-distance passengers taking trains from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). The Central Railway (CR) authorities are looking to complete work on extending two more platforms—12 and 13—in less than two months. The deadline has been advanced from December to September; and if things go as planned, the work could even be over by August end.

On June 1-2, CR authorities had carried out a 36-hour mega block to upgrade CSMT stations. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

Last week, the CR general manager R K Yadav visited the site, where 40 percent of work is completed. “We are expediting work on the two platforms,” said a senior CR official. “The work will be over by August, latest by September.”

The upgradation work includes extending Platforms 12 and 13 to enable them to accommodate 24-coach trains from the current 18-coach trains, which will increase the carrying capacity by 20 percent. The proposed lengths for these platforms range from 305 to 382 metres, alongside yard remodelling and the construction of other amenities.

“The extent of work on these two platforms is not as colossal as it was for extending Platforms 10 and 11. So we have revised the deadline,” said another CR official. The initial deadline was December, which was advanced to November 2024.

The officials who were part of the inspection said that the current two platforms which have been extended are functioning properly. It is aiding them in carrying more passengers, which was the primary purpose.

On June 1-2, CR authorities had carried out a 36-hour mega block that not just involved finishing works on platform extension but also replacing the nature of track functioning from route relay interlocking to electronic interlocking to improve the overall functioning. It also involved replacing OHE masts, equipment of signalling and telecommunications, shifting track points and other paraphernalia.

“During the previous massive block taken up in the first week of June, several trains were cancelled and many local trains were short-terminated well before CSMT, which caused hardship to commuters,” said Nandkumar Deshmukh, president of the Federation of Suburban Rail Passengers Association. “The railways should ensure that a similar problem does not arise when the next block is undertaken in the coming months.”

CSMT is one of India’s busiest and oldest railway stations. Of the 1,810 local services operated by CR daily on its Main (Central) and Harbour lines, CSMT caters to over 1,200. Apart from this, there are 100-odd long-distance trains that arrive and depart from the terminus.

The decision to upgrade CSMT comes amid the rising demand for trains in the peak summer season, when passengers travelling to various parts of the country face a lot of problems due to overcrowding. At present, the terminus has 18 platforms, of which seven are reserved for suburban services. The remaining 11 are used for long-distance trains.