18.6.08

Mumbai: MUTP III Concept Note

Suburban trains for Bhiwandi, local trains till Ballard Pier, 18-coach trains with closed doors and a Bandra-Kurla local train corridor. No, it’s not a wishlist, it’s part of the concept note of the third phase of Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), which was finalised by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC).The note outlined the development plan for Mumbai suburban railway network, which is to be implemented between 2012 and 2018.
Extending the Harbour Line to Ballard Pier will allow passengers to directly reach the heart of the city's business district and will lower the congestion around Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. Also, the passenger load at CST will reduce with Ballard Pier becoming the starting point for harbour trains. Connectivity between offices at Navi Mumbai and South Mumbai will thus be strengthened. The existing rail line at Ballard Pier currently belongs to the Mumbai Port Trust and connecting the harbour line to it will be the biggest hurdle.
To avoid saturation on Central and Western suburban railway lines, a third corridor connecting Virar-Bhiwandi-Diva and Panvel is proposed. Also, commuters travelling from western suburbs to Panvel will have a changing point at Dadar. This will result in development of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (areas that include Mumbai and suburbs up to Virar and Badlapur). The only hurdle is the availability of rakes, otherwise train services can be started immediately. Right now over 16 people travel in one square meter area on local trains during rush hour. There are currently 6.5 million train commuters, which is growing at the rate of 4 per cent every year. In order to cope with passenger load, the railways are studying the feasibility of 15 to 18 car trains.The length of all station platforms and distance between signals will have to be increased to accommodate the increased number of compartments.
With an increasing number of offices and residential townships coming up in Navi Mumbai, the commuter rush on harbour line trains is growing rapidly. To cope with the increased passenger load, Central Railways either needs to increase the number of cars on each train or should have more fast trains on the route halting at Belapur, Vashi, Mankhurd, Wadala and Ballard Pier.About 15 per cent of the harbour line is an elevated band. Increasing the length of stations to run 12 car trains here will be a problem. Also, construction of additional lines will also require of lot of restructuring and shifting of tracks passing underneath.
Bandra Kurla Complex is the city's new business district and has important offices like NSE and the Diamond Market. Currently, transportation facilities to BKC from Kurla and Bandra railway stations are insufficient. The corridor will not only provide connectivity with BKC, but will also add two more interchanging points for Central and Western railway commuters. The state government is planning to come up with a monorail or connect the area with its Metro rail plan. The project thus depends on the government's priorities.
In order to expand its suburban services up to Dahanu, the railways will require more tracks in this section. Currently, a shuttle service runs between Virar and Dahanu. However, it would not meet the increasing demand of commuters.Expansion of services will only be possible when there are more rakes.
Currently, the number of services beyond Kalyan has to be restricted due to the availability of just two tracks. They handle the load of suburban local services as well as long distance trains. The additional track will separate the suburban and long distance traffic. The construction of the fifth and sixth line between Thane and Kurla has taken over six years to complete, due to encroachments and land acquisition issues. Similar problems might occur on these lines too.
About 2,784 people have died after falling off local trains in the past year. Therefore, MRVC has been talking about introducing trains with closed doors. The closed door trains will require airconditioning and will increase the cost of commuting on trains as well. The closed door trains will also reduce carrying capacity of each train.
As per the document, traffic on the suburban railway system was expected to reduce due to other transport initiatives. However, the present trend shows that passengers are increasing at the rate of over four per cent a year and that the situation is likely to worsen if action is not taken to enhance capacity. As of now, 6.5 million people use local trains daily.
After both the phases of MUTP are complete by 2013, peak crowding is expected to come down from the current 550 passengers per coach to 335.The plan, based on suggestions by the Railways, state government bodies and commuter feedback, has been reviewed by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and will now be shown to the railway board chairman.


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