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Journalism of Courage
IN AN effort to give people easier access to buses as well as streamline pedestrian movement, the Kurla railway station, an important train junction connecting the central and harbour lines, will get an elevated bus terminal by 2019. As part of the BMC’s comprehensive mobility plan, at least 20 railway stations will undergo changes by 2034 so that the areas outside the stations get decongested.
In the coming years, the BMC plans to make certain changes under the Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS) to improve connectivity around the railway stations in the city. “Around one crore people walk on the road everyday in this city and the local trains being the lifeline of the city, the station area is of immense importance. Currently, the entrances of railway stations are congested with autos and taxis, which make movement difficult for a person who chooses to walk. We will be taking measures to ensure that pedestrians are able to reach their destination easily,” said SVR Srinivas, additional municipal commissioner.
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The plan to improve pedestrian movement at the 20 railway stations with a high footfall will be executed in three stages. One railway station from each of the three lines, Kurla, Andheri and Dadar, have been identified in the first stage and the BMC aims to complete the work by 2019.
“Kurla has a high footfall of more than 6 million people and the road on the west side of the station is very narrow where the buses are unable to reach. Once the elevated bus terminal is constructed, people will be able to board them from the station,” said Srinivas. While Dadar, which connects western and central line and Andheri which connects western and harbour line have always been important junctions, Kurla has become one of the most crowded stations especially after the development of the BKC area.
He added that other measures will include improving the footpaths and foot-over-bridges near the railway stations as well as finding missing links which will be converted into short roads for better traffic management.
In addition to that, autos and taxis will not be allowed beyond a certain point to ensure that the area around the entrance of the railway station is kept pedestrian-friendly.
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