Mumbai may get new railway station on central line

On Tuesday, the Maharashtra state health department said it will part with a portion of land from the Thane Mental Hospital for the project, after conducting a joint survey with the Thane civic body.

A new railway station between Thane and Mulund could soon be a reality. On Tuesday, the state health department said it will part with a portion of land from the Thane Mental Hospital for the project, after conducting a joint survey with the Thane civic body.

The decision was taken during a meeting health minister Deepak Sawant held with officials from the health department and the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).

The land on which the station and a bus stand have been proposed belongs to the state-run mental hospital and has been encroached. The TMC has been asking for this land to be made available for years.

Sawant said the joint survey will find out how much land has been encroached, after which the next course of action will be decided. He suggested the state urban development department sends a proposal for the new railway station to the Union railway ministry.

State public works minister and Thane legislator Eknath Shinde said the TMC will resettle the squatters and also compensate the health department with transferable development rights (TDR). The TMC will need 18 acres of land for the project.

“The Thane station is already overcrowded, with some eight lakh commuters using it every day. We just hope no unfortunate incident such as a stampede takes place during rush hour. It is high time the gover nment takes a decision to build the new railway station,” Shinde said.