3 min readMumbaiOct 27, 2014 04:23 AM IST
First published on: Oct 27, 2014 at 04:23 AM IST
Simulation done by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation software indicates that introduction of this halt will need an additional 12 rakse in the circuit to maintain timelines.
Commuters can expect a new railway station, taking the total to 79 in the central railway (CR) network, with the railways proposing a stop named Chikoli, between Ambernath and Badlapur. Currently, the distance between the two stations is a staggering 10 km as compared to the average distance of 2 km between stations in Mumbai region. The new stop is expected to ease commuter traffic at both Ambernath and Badlapur. The railways have pegged the cost of the project at Rs 1,750 crore.
Railway sources admitted that the plan had been pending for some time. It was suddenly revived, with the new railway ministry looking to decongest stations as their priority. Arunendra Kumar, Chairman, Railway Board, said, “The respective directorates have begun examining the proposal.”
Simulation done by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation software indicates that introduction of this halt will need an additional 12 rakse in the circuit to maintain timelines.
Sunil Sood, general manager, CR, in his letter dated September 30, 2014 to the Railway board, said, “There has been demand for a new halt by people’s representatives of various levels.’’ Sood himself admitted, “The proposal had not been found commercially viable in the past. However, based on the query received by the railway minister, the engineering scale plan and abstract financial estimate for opening of new station at Chikoli have been prepared.’’
The railways, in its study, also observed that in the past five years, commuter population of Badlapur and Ambarnath had risen by 50 per cent, with the state government encouraging developers to shift to Karjat and Kasara where fresh projects were coming up. Parallel to that, the efforts to improve on connectivity hadn’t made much progress, railway officers admitted.
Sood has now submitted the the engineering scale plan and the abstract financial estimate of the proposal on the board’s request.
“Similar demands of a halt at Guruvali (between Kalyan and Karjat) and two halts between Thane and Turbhe ( Trans Harbor) are also being considered in view of development of housing colonies in those areas,” he added.
The new station will be 4 km from Ambernath. and from Chikloli to Badlapur the train will cover a distance of 6 km.
Simulation done by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation software indicates that introduction of this halt will need an additional 12 rakse in the circuit to maintain timelines.
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