Thane station revamp waits for green signal

After trying their hand at developing the land at Bandra railway station, the railways are planning to commercially develop the 0.8-hectare plot at Thane railway station, reports Rajendra Aklekar.

After trying their hand at developing the land at Bandra railway station, the railways are planning to commercially develop the 0.8-hectare plot at Thane railway station.

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The Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has listed the plot among the 67 nationwide plots that are being planned to be developed commercially by leasing them out to private bidders and have a host of facilities for passengers and businesses.

“The site at Thane has been selected for an initial feasibility study and data is being collected from Central Railway. If found feasible, it would change the present station in every way,” an RLDA official said.

According to the RLDA, commercial development means the station would get a multi-storeyed tower with swank offices and retail shops above the station and hi-end passenger facilities for railway commuters.

“The commercial development of land on the station premises would include passenger facilities, multi-functional complexes, retail shops, hotels and offices,” a presentation by Desh Ratan Gupta, RLDA general manager (projects) said.

The presentation on the RLDA (a copy of which is with Hindustan Times) was given at a recent seminar in Delhi.

Commercial development of the 45,371-sq-m of land in Bandra (East) near the railway station is expected to fund the Mumbai Urban Transport project aimed at upgrading the city’s rail infrastructure.

The plot is now, however, stuck in a legal dispute with the Maharashtra government too laying its claim over the land.

Improvement of the Thane station has also been a demand of local commuters as the crowd at the station has increased manifold.

Earlier, the local MP had sought to relocate the Thane Mental Hospital that is situated nearby to expand the station, but the proposal was stuck in red tape.