Multi-modal elevated corridor not impossible in Mumbai: railway officials

Railway officials and transport experts welcomed the idea of building multi-modal elevated corridors instead of the proposed elevated corridors between CST-Panvel and Churchgate-Virar corridor.

Railway officials and transport experts welcomed the idea of building multi-modal elevated corridors instead of the proposed elevated corridors between CST-Panvel and Churchgate-Virar corridor, and forming a special committee for looking into transport issues.

“It is an interesting idea as road and railway corridors will be built at the same or different level on one pillar. It is a new concept, and its feasibility needs to be studied,” said a senior Western Railway (WR) official.

Railways officials felt building such corridors would be technologically challenging, but not unfeasible. “To ease suburban commuting, we need to adopt advance technology,” said a Central Railway official.

Transport expert AV Shenoy welcomed the move, but warned that it should not be for private vehicles only. “Public transport vehicles such as BEST buses should be allowed to use it, otherwise it’s a waste of public money,” he said.

Another transport expert, Ashok Datar, however, said ground-level railway may be a better option.

Experts also welcomed the move of creating a standing committee for integrated transport solutions. “We have being asking for a single authority. This could be the first step towards it,” said Shenoy.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday also gave his nod to the third phase of the MUTP, which is estimated to cost over Rs 53,000 crores. The project includes Virar-Dahanu quadrupling, Virar-Diva-Panvel quadrupling, Airoli-Kalwa rail link, Panvel-Karjat doubling projects, among others.

Railway officials said various issues such as building of new ROBs, level crossing gates, acquiring land for projects were discussed. Even the matter of making land available for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet corridor at BKC was taken up.