What about us, ask commuters in packed Thane

There have been a host of measures to manage crowds at Thane but none has been enough

Despite the Central Railway's (CR) ongoing efforts to revamp historical stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme, Thane railway station is yet to reap the fruits of renovation. The first station to witness a locomotive run in India, Thane station is struggling to accommodate the 5,00,000 commuters and over 1,300 trains daily.

The Amrit Bharat Station Scheme envisions revamping railway stations having historical significance into passenger-friendly hubs. While the work to revamp Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) has begun, the Railway Board has not given any official confirmation on initiating work at Thane. While the notification for the revamp under the central scheme was issued on February 10, 2023, the delay raises concerns about the planning, bidding process, and passenger safety at a chaotic station.

‘Need crowd control'

Shubhash Gupta, president, Yatri Sangh Mumbai, said, "Thane is a historical station which witnessed the first ever run of locomotive in India. Refurbishing it is important but not easy. Even as the work at CSMT has begun, Thane, being the home of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde himself, appears to be neglected."
Nandkumar Deshmukh, president, the Federation of Suburban Passengers Association, said, "Some of the canteens at Thane had to be closed to make space for commuters. It should be revamped keeping commuter influx in mind. Tracks and trains should be increased too."

Commuter Rohit Shenoy said, "The self-ticketing zone often doesn't function. Platform numbers on FOBs need to be put in bold to prevent confusion during peak hours, which are getting worse with every passing day. The railways should consider a direct link from Thane to stations like Andheri and Borivli on the Western Railway (WR). This will divert the crowd and reduce the stress on CR."

Commuter Arjit Paul said, "The railways should add underpasses to Thane station to prevent crowing on the footover bridges (FOB). The ticketing system should be improved - either have more TCs or a QR-code-based system like the Metro to prevent ticketless travel and crowding."

"Sometimes, Thane gets so crowded during peak hours that we must miss trains. The CR should either widen the platform or increase trains," said another commuter at the station.

While the Railways had proposed measures to control crowds, the reforms seem to be only on paper. In June, CR's Divisional Railway Manager Rajnish Goel visited Thane station to assess the situation and make plans to mitigate crowding. However, no development has occurred on the ground.

‘Plans being made'

Dr Shivaji Manaspure, CR's chief public relations officer, told mid-day, "Plans to revamp Thane station are still in the works. At the moment, we cannot tell when they will be ready. The revamp will begin as soon as they are ready."

5Lakh
Daily commuters accessing Thane

1,300
Trains crossing Thane daily

Voices

Rohit Shenoy and Arjit Paul

Rohit Shenoy, a commuter
‘Platform numbers on FOBs need to be put in bold to prevent confusion during peak hours, which are getting worse with every passing day'

Arjit Paul, a commuter
‘Thane should either have more TCs or a QR-code-based system like the Metro to prevent ticketless travel and crowding'