... but managing to come out unscathed from the melee outside the station is a task in itself
So, children, what have we learnt, from the numerous rounds of our suburban stations over the past two weeks? That they need better and more infrastructure, and fast.
Borivli station offers wide bridges...
And then, on the other end are stations that have got a bouquet of upgrades but, it seems, in vain; for example Andheri, Borivli, Kurla and Thane, besides a few others, which haven't seen any better crowd dispersal or management than their neglected counterparts.
... but incomplete work on a booking office, with debris around, is an eyesore and inconvenience
Reason: the basics are still off — blockage off access points mostly due to hawkers and encroachments. The railways is now working with the state government and local bodies to tackle this. At a multidisciplinary coordination meeting held in Bandra last week, BMC and other agencies agreed to keep 150 metres outside railway stations free of hawkers.
Andheri station's skywalks are a delight...
"The real solution for Mumbai will always be building an alternative mode of transport, equally dependable and cheap.
... a narrow and uneven entry-exit point, which gets choked during peak hours, is still a problem
There have been several plans and studies regarding this since the late 1960s, with money being spent on them, but all that has come out of it is spiral-bound reports, now stacked at MMRDA offices and available for a fee," a senior railway official said.
While Kurla station has got new bridges...
"Mumbai had a sturdy tram network that was shut down in 1964, and the city became dependent on the local trains run by the central government — the fastest and cheapest, at 18 paise per km, mode of transport. And due to political pressure and increase in crowds, the number of services kept on rising, till reaching a point now that the existing infrastructure is unable to take the pressure."
Upgraded, and yet crowded
Thane: This is where a comprehensive SATIS (Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme) programme, the only one on the Mumbai suburban railway network, has been implemented, and yet, the crowd is unmanageable. One more 12-m bridge is now coming up at the north end. The railways is also building a station at Kopri to ease the pressure here. Work will begin in January 2018.
Also read: Mumbai safety audit: Things may get worse at Wadala due to new monorail station
Andheri: The crowd exploded here after the arrival of the Metro. The new bridges and intensive circulation areas have made it slightly easier to negotiate, but a lot remains to be done. The incomplete elevated booking office at the Metro end has turned into a garbage bin and needs to be completed fast. One positive though is that the extreme crowding on platforms 8 and 9, when two Andheri-Virar trains arrive, has been addressed by changing timings after mid-day's report.
Borivli: Exponential growth in the number of passengers due to rise in housing projects and halts of outstation trains helped Borivli get an upgrade — wide elevated decks and five connected bridges make commute easier. But platforms have too many hurdles, restricting commuters' walking and standing space, and the area outside the station in the west is chaotic.
Kurla: This crucial junction has been developed like never before with skywalks and bridges linked at all the ends of the station. A new east-west underpass is also almost ready to open. The new west access at Mumbai CST end, however, is in a bad shape.
Also read: Mumbai safety audit: Harbour line stations insufficient to cater to increasing commuter rush
Dombivli-Kalyan: Even though, these two stations have been developed, unnecessary utilities on platforms is still a big problem. An error in engineering here is the very steep staircase connecting the old foot overbridge with the 12-m one, which is very difficult to negotiate. At Dombivli, the civic FOB outside the station needs a roof.
Action plan
Central Railway
* Staff deployment at 13 suburban stations, equipped with walkie-talkies and loud hailers
* Eight new FOBs, extension of three others and more interconnectivity between skywalks and bridges
* Eight new escalators and eight new lifts
* Addition of emergency medical rooms
* Freeing 150 metres of railway premises from hawkers
* Helpline number for passengers to lodge complaints on
* Preventing drainage discharge onto tracks
* Garbage removal from railway areas with the help of the local civic body
* Providing community garbage bins near tracks
Western Railway
* Many more bridges and escalators as per need at every station
* Multi-Purpose Stalls at stations to avoid multiple stalls on platforms
* Demarcation of areas to affix responsibility
* Change in timings of trains to tackle crowding
* Reservation of a bridge at Andheri for women for a few hours
* Better interconnectivity with skywalks and bridges
* Widening of approaches and access points
* Removal of abandoned structures
* New booking office at Mira Road on platform 1
* Planning and development of circulation area with an autorickshaw stand at Nalasopara
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Also Read: Mumbai: 12 cases of molestation on local trains
