16 October,2017 09:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
With pitch-dark subways, insufficient foot overbridges and construction material and debris-littered premises, WR's Dahisar and Mira Road stations on the city's outskirts aren't doing any better than their CR counterparts
After Central Railway last week, let's come to the stepchildren of Western Railway - Dahisar and Mira Road, stations that have seen a steady rise in passengers due to immediate proximity to expanding Borivli, and because of the number of "promising" housing projects coming up, respectively. Commuters in these border towns are living on the edge and facing the rush-hour heat every day.
Virar-end FOB at Mira Road has incorrectly placed ATVMs, with queues of commuters before it hampering movement of other passengers
Dahisar
"The rush at Dahisar is so terrible during morning peak hour that I prefer to catch an auto and go to Borivli; there's a better chance of getting an originating train there. At Dahisar, it's impossible to even get a footing on the footboard and push one's way in. Evenings are equally bad, but we somehow manage to get out," said Sudhakar Mishra, a resident.
Work on an additional landing to an FOB at Mira Road's Virar-end is incomplete, littering the station with debris and construction material
Another Dahisar resident Jitubhai Solanki said, "We are the last suburb of Mumbai city, and the scene at the station and surrounding area is abysmal. If you step out from the subway in the east at Virar-end, the approach road is blocked by hawkers. Locals have been getting the stepmotherly treatment from the BMC; none of the major decisions it takes for the city are implemented here."
The lone foot overbridge at Dahisar station
The station shows an equally sorry state of affairs - inadequate infrastructure and connectivity and access dependent on whatever the BMC has set up. There are two subways, one at the Churchgate-end and the other at Virar-end, and one foot overbridge linked to the skywalk in the west. BMC is responsible for maintaining the subways, and that should give one an idea of the terrible condition they are in - the one at Virar-end is nearly in pitch darkness with lights either missing or having poor lux level.
Mira Road
Here, too, Churchgate-bound commuters, in the mornings, have to resort to "tricks" to be able to get inside the train. "I prefer to take a Bhayander or, in extreme cases, a Vasai train, travel in the opposite direction, and then, take a Churchgate train. Otherwise, it requires herculean effort to get in. We even have to start a bit early and plan the journey accordingly," said Seema Parihar, a regular commuter.
The station has three foot overbridges, linked to the skywalk in the west. The Virar-end FOB with the booking office needs a special mention. Here, the Automatic Ticket Vending Machines are positioned in such a way that the queue of commuters blocks the movement of others entering and leaving the station from the skywalk, leading to crowding. The other problem is the station is not paved properly, with roof missing in several places and construction material lying around.
"The station is fine, but the railways should try and increase the frequency of locals in the morning. Many commuters stand on the footboard, blocking the entrance, making it difficult for us to get in. It's a fight to get inside the trains in the mornings," said Suresh Kini, a resident.
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