Mumbai: Central Railway draws flak for its harbour line plans

The plan to terminate trains at Sandhurst Rd station is to facilitate laying of the fifth and sixth lines. Pic/Twitter

Central Railway's (CR) recent proposal to terminate harbour line suburban services at Sandhurst Road and do away with fast train halts at Byculla has sparked opposition from passenger associations and experts.

The proposal

According to sources, the proposed alterations are intended to make space for the extension of the fifth and sixth lines up to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus. Rhese lines exist between Kalyan and LTT and work on the extension of the fifth and sixth lines up to Parel is underway.

"To accommodate this, CR is considering terminating harbour line services at Sandhurst Road and repurposing platforms 1 and 2 at CSMT and Masjid for mainline slow services. This would also involve demolishing fast corridor platforms at Byculla to create room for new tracks, which would result in the removal of fast train stoppages between CSMT and Dadar," said a senior railway official.

Experts speak

Criticising the new idea, Subodh Jain, former general manager of CR and retired member of the railway board said, "The traffic on the harbour line is growing at a much faster rate because of growth in Navi Mumbai and connectivity to the western suburbs. To assume that 40,000 commuters will reach Sandhurst Road and board during peak hour is foolish."

Passenger associations have also voiced strong objections to these proposals Subhash Gupta, chairman of the Rail Yatri Parishad, disapproved the proposal, labelling it "foolish" and calling for reconsideration of alternative options. Lata Agarde, secretary of the Suburban Passengers Association, said, "This move would significantly inconvenience commuters, particularly those travelling from Navi Mumbai."

Agarde suggested, "CR should reconsider relocating harbour services to the P D'Mello Road side." Besides, she criticised the plan to eliminate fast train stoppages at Byculla. Arguing that it would worsen congestion at other stations, Agarde urged railway officials to re-visit Byculla station during peak hours to better understand the implications of their plan.

Previously, CR proposed an alternative alignment for the harbour line, which involved rerouting over the Eastern Freeway and terminating harbour line services at a deck on existing platforms 17 and 18 at CSMT. However, this plan was eventually scrapped.

Anish Shelte, a regular CR passenger, stated, "Have a terminal at Parel for long-distance trains and free up CSMT station. More people travel from suburban to CSMT to catch long-distance trains, then vice-versa. Increasing the frequency of local trains, including the harbour line, must be the goal, not degrading it."