Hurdle cleared, Mumbai’s new railway station between Thane and Mulund back on track
Central Railway is now looking to build a station with a three-storey building, four escalators, an elevated deck and medical amenities.
The suburban network is all set to get station between Thane and Mulund, offering much-needed respite to commuters on the stretch.
After state’s nod for transfer of a 14-acre plot for the station, the central railway (CR) is now looking to build a station with a three-storey building, four escalators and an elevated deck with easy access to buses and autorickshaws. Along with an array of amenities, the station, which will be built at a cost of Rs119 crore, will be connected to the nearest Metro station.
With the daily passenger footfall of Thane and Mulund railway stations (8.34 lakh) more than the footfall at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) (3 lakh), the authorities came up with the plan for a new station. CR receives 2.67 lakh tickets bookings from Thane and 1.05 lakh tickets booking from Mulund daily.
According to the plan, the station will have three 350-m-long platforms, with a width of 10m, 12m and 7m each. Three foot overbridges (10-m wide) will connect all platforms that will have closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras and medical amenities.
The booking office will come up to the east of the station. A route relay interlocking (RRI) building, which relays signals to local trains, will also be constructed near the railway station. The process for the structure is expected to start by the end of the year.
“The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) will also dismantle and reconstruct the old Kopri bridge that goes to the east of the Thane railway station. The civic body will also resettle and rehabilitate people living near the area and shift two overhead pipeline bridges,” said a senior central railway official.
The project, which has been approved under the Centre’s Smart City initiative, has been in talks since 2004. However, land was a hurdle as a major chunk of the portion required for the station belonged to a mental hospital owned by the state government. On July 5, the state Cabinet decided to transfer the land for the station, putting it back on track.
Commuters expect the new station to bring down the congestion at Thane station. “Thane railway station is overcrowded and it takes 15 minutes to get out of the station. The new railway station will help reduce the burden,” said Lata Argade, vice-president, Railway Pravasi Mahasangh. “With the new station coming up, the real estate in Thane city will also see a rise of up to 15% in the prices,” said Vishal Wadhwani, asset advisor and real estate consultant in Thane region.
The area will also witness commercial development.
“The real estate prices in Wagle Estate haven’t changed over the past four years. The new station, which will be just 10 minutes away from the estate, which will lead to a substantial rise in prices,” said Wadhwani.