The opening of two new rail lines connecting Thane and Diva stations in Mumbai hasn’t made it any easier for commuters taking the suburban trains to go about. Although up to 100 additional local trains might be operated, only 36 extra services have been established. The train officials must better utilize the additional infrastructure, according to commuters. Costs increased as a result of the project’s delays; by the time it was finished in 2022, 620 crore ($82.9 million) had been spent. According to railroad officials, there are currently no plans to increase the number of suburban trains.
The Central Railway (CR) network’s fifth and sixth railway lines connecting Thane and Diva stations were officially opened in February 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. These two lines were constructed to allow long-distance trains to move without interruption from Lokmanya Tilak Terminus to Kalyan, freeing up the other four lines for local trains.
Even though CR said there was room for up to 100 additional local trains, it only announced the launch of 36 extra routes.
Because not a single local train had been introduced since then, rail passenger associations said eighteen months later that the new infrastructure had not made it easier for suburban rail passengers to travel.
“The two new rail lines on the Thane-Diva route, according to what we were told, would allow for the potential of operating an additional 100 local trains on the existing tracks. According to Madhu Kotian, president of the Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh, “CR authorities operate long-distance trains, holiday specials, and freight trains on the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth lines instead of fully switching over to tracks five and six.” She also added that CR ignored the plight of regular Mumbaikars traveling from farther regions in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The groups added that they had pressed CR to utilize the two new train lines to the fullest extent possible.
President of the Federation of Suburban Passenger Association Nandkumar Deshmukh said it hurts to see commuters from Diva, Kalwa, and Mumbra struggle to board local trains during rush hour.
“Unwanted incidents keep happening again, yet the railroad authorities pay little attention despite protests. CR can likely operate additional Thane-Karjat/Kasara trains now that the fifth and sixth lines are up and running. But that’s not taking place. Deshmukh, a resident of Thane, stated, “We attempted to explain all this to CR officials earlier this month.
Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC)’s Mumbai Urban Transport Project-2 officially kicked off construction on the fifth and sixth lines in 2008. Within a decade, the project’s costs increased from 133 crore to 440 crore as a result of the delays. Finally, when it was completed and opened in 2022, 620 crore had been invested.
Source- Hindustan times
Link- https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/commuters-fret-as-new-thane-diva-rail-lines-fail-to-address-travel-woes-101694805745749.html
