Four years on, Chikhloli station remains on paper

Surveying work is carried out for the proposed station in 2020

As commuters beyond Kalyan wait for their promised new station of Chikhloli between Ambernath and Badlapur, the Railways have said they are awaiting funding from the Maharashtra government and the project will be taken up at a later stage.

The construction of the station received a nod from the ministry of railways in 2019 and the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) finalised a concept for two additional 14-km lines between Kalyan and Badlapur, which includes the new station, segregated under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3A (MUTP 3A) at around R1,510 crore.

As per commercial records, the station is to come up 64.17 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). It will be located 4.34 km from Ambernath station and 3.1 km from Badlapur station.

The overall plan is to have two lines, one on either side of the existing tracks to boost capacity. From the Kalyan side proceeding to Badlapur, a new line will be constructed on the east side of the Karjat-bound track while another new line will be constructed on the west side of the CSMT-bound track as there is not enough space to have both the new tracks on either side of the existing lines. The tracks will then be joined in a way to make two sets of up and down tracks, one of which will serve suburban trains while the other pair will be used by the main line and goods trains.

Giving a status update on the project in an RTI reply to a local commuter activist, MRVC officials said the work is under process and is subject to the provision of funds from the state government.

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"A new station named Chikhloli has been planned in between Ambernath and Badlapur railway stations. This station shall be constructed under the project work of the 3rd and 4th line between Kalyan-Badlapur sanctioned under MUTP 3A shared on a 50:50 basis by the Maharashtra government and railway ministry. The construction of Chikhloli station involves the acquisition of approximately eight hectares of land. However, the required funds for this project have not been received from the Maharashtra government. On receiving the funds, the land acquisition process shall be completed and work of the new station shall be carried out along with third and fourth line project," the written reply, a copy of which is with mid-day, stated.

RTI activist Anup Mhetre said, "All local residents were so happy when the station was first announced. Elected public representatives proudly laid the foundation stone. I filed an RTI application to learn why work had not started despite big announcements and the function. The state government's funds for the project are yet to arrive. I appeal to the Maharashtra government to expedite the funding process."

Shailesh Raut, president, Kalyan-Kasara Railway Passenger Association, stated that since the station was sanctioned four years ago, local residents and commuters had been eagerly awaiting it. "It is a sad state of affairs that the station is still stuck in the land acquisition process and quite shocking to know that the state government is yet to release funds. Those who live in the area suffer a lot as they have to walk or take autos or any available mode of transport from Badlapur and Ambernath stations," Raut said.

Refusing to speak on the record, Maharashtra government officials said that they are in a continuous dialogue with Railways and R250 crore had been allotted for MUTP projects in the budget tabled in February 2023.

2019
Year nod was given to build station