Mumbai: Commuters exasperated as CR digs up recently-widened Dadar station platform

The platform at Dadar station where escalator-related work is taking place

Central Railway (CR) Mumbai has begun its favourite work again, digging a hole. The newly widened platform no. 8 at Dadar station has been dug up again, and barricaded, creating a narrow pathway, repeating the same tapered entry/exit at the north end of the station. Though temporary, due to work related to new escalators, the situation has again become dangerous during rush hours with crowds jostling and struggling.

"The work could have been taken up simultaneously, and this barricading could have been avoided. The Government Railway Police has put additional barricades on the other side, leading to more problems and narrowing down the point further. The barricades on the side where work is on could be lessened and opened up," a commuter, Avinash Khandelwal, said. "Widening of the platform was a very good move, but these works should have been done together in a consolidated manner so digging and barricading does not happen endlessly like this," another commuter advocate, Shailaja Mehta, said.

"I guess even after this, the digging will continue as the new, extended platform is still awaiting a roof and it is just three months for the monsoon to set in," yet another commuter Dr Nagrajan said. Sources said the issue is about failure of coordination between various departments and the planning and it could have been avoided had there been proper information sharing amongst all departments.

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‘Will rearrange barricades'

Railway officials said that the priority was to widen the platform first and ancillary works of installing public amenities are always done later. They said they would try and rearrange the barricades so that there is minimal inconvenience to crowds and that enough circulating area is maintained at the landing of the north-end footover bridge.

Platform no. 8, as highlighted by mid-day, had been widened and opened for the public recently. The platform has been widened by 3.5 metres, from 7 metres to 10.5 metres. Following a series of articles by mid-day on how the railway police had been struggling to manage the crowd at platform nos. 1 and 2, CR's Mumbai divisional railway manager (DRM) Rajneesh Goyal had promised not just to widen the platform but also drawn up a master plan of the station to create more space for passengers, including other platforms. Work has also now begun to widen platform 11 to be widened so that commuters on the platform can get a double-discharge facility.

Sharp rods sticking out

Sharp iron rods have been left protruding onto platform no. 9 at the north end near the escalator. The platform sees heavy rush and caters to CSMT-bound slow trains on one side and mail/express and fast trains on the other side. Many such rods are seen in stations where escalators or lifts are being installed. Railway officials said they would promptly get them removed on a priority basis.

10.5m
Width of platform no 8