Thane platform expansion: CR faces 63-hour challenge

The Lego-like blocks that will be used in the construction; the blocks will be transported to the site via a special train

With 785 Lego-like blocks, military battle tank wagons, and extensive rehearsals, Central Railway is meticulously preparing for the challenging task of widening an existing platform at the continuously packed Thane station. Understanding the difficulty of the 63-hour block, they have conducted multiple dress rehearsals and dry runs. The entire widened portion of the platform will be constructed using the 785 blocks, which have already been aligned, assembled, and laid out at Mulund. These will be transported to the site via a special train equipped with military wagons.

"So what we are doing at Thane is to slew the existing Kalyan-bound fast track to widen platforms 5/6 by two to three metres. The slewing of tracks will take the first 15 hours. Once that is done, the widening of the platform will be taken up. Normally, doing such work traditionally takes months, but here we have prepared hollow precast blocks of the entire length of the platform and they are about 785 in number and weighing two to three tonnes," an official explained.

"On the day of the construction, these will be ferried in a special train made up of military wagons that load battle tanks. These are shallow wagons with 1190mm troughs. They have been loaded with the blocks and five poclain machines with 200mt capacity will be at work simultaneously to finish the work in time," he said.

Dadar platform
The conversion of Dadar platforms 10/11 into double discharge ones is rapidly gaining completion, and a small patch remains. However, though the platforms will be usable, other amenities like roofs, etc will be added as the monsoon goes on. The fast train platforms 10/11 at Dadar are being converted to double discharge ones. This would ensure that the crowd on platform no. 10 - where Kalyan-bound fast local trains and express trains leaving Mumbai currently halt get equally distributed, thus decongesting it. Once the platform on the other side, opens for the public, commuters can board from either side of the platform. At present, the platform is fenced from one side.