General manager’s surprise visits give boost to Central Rly projects

Delay in completion of several projects initiated by the Central Railway has become a major cause of concern for general manager Kul Bhushan.

Delay in completion of several projects initiated by the Central Railway has become a major cause of concern for general manager Kul Bhushan.

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Since October, Bhushan has been conducting surprise visits to ensure speedy completion of the projects.

The project to lay two additional lines (5th and 6th) between Thane and Kurla has been underway for the past 15 years and no progress has been made on the tunnel between the Thane-Diva stretch for quite a while. However, the projects have gained momentum after Bhushan’s visit.

A part of the Thane-Kurla corridor — stretch of Vikhroli to Kurla — was in limbo due to faulty alignment of the tracks. However, the CR officials have taken corrective measures and the stretch will open in December. The Thane-Vikhroli stretch opened on October 15.

“It is a very difficult stretch. Nearly 90% of he work was carried out in the past two years,” said a senior CR official on condition of anonymity.

Work on the Thane-Diva link (5-6th line) has also started. This would comprise new tunnels on the Parsik Hills.

Even the Kurla Terminus, where construction of a new building has been stuck for long time, has got a deadline of early next year. Panvel station will also see some change in the next few months.

Shriniwas Mudgerikar, chief PRO of CR, confirmed that the general manager’s visit had given a boost to the projects. “He visited the sites and has asked that the projects to be expedited.”