17 October,2017 10:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
CR's Harbour line just has two tracks, horribly insufficient to cater to the increasing commuter rush, rising rapidly due to new housing projects and PAP rehabilitation among other reasons
What have Tilak Nagar, Govandi and Mankhurd been 'harbour'ing? The usual, no secret - piling (number of) passengers. These three stations on Central Railway's Harbour line are the up-and-comers, but only in terms of commuter population, not the required infrastructure. And the limited infrastructure is supposedly due to the fact that Harbour line has only two tracks, and no fast trains.
Also, increase in trains' length - from nine-car ones to 12-car locals - has added to passenger footfall on the network. Go for a stroll at these stations and you'll see the problems in all their glory - unpaved platforms, missing roofs and narrow entry-exit points, to name a few.
Incomplete work that is 'progressing' nowhere has ended up partially blocking entry of commuters to the Tilak Nagar station
Tilak Nagar
Residential projects from the ever-expanding Kurla have led to a rise in the number of passengers at Tilak Nagar, besides outstation passengers, who travel from the nearby Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT). It's just a two-platform station with two foot overbridges. The CSMT-end FOB is very narrow and has no connectivity to the east. Also, the pathway to LTT is partially blocked due to ongoing work, leading to congestion. Platform 2 is narrow and leads to problems during the morning rush hour, and the north-end entry on the west side also needs an upgrade.
Why should our stations be left behind when it comes to potholes? An unpaved platform makes up for it
Mankhurd
This is where project-affected people have been rehabilitated in large numbers. A station on a curve, with two platforms and three FOBs (one of them with lifts), a problem here is keeping unwanted elements and those not commuting away from the station. Platform 1 is only partially paved and the entry in the west is sometimes partially blocked by the ATVM queues on one side and a GRP bench on the other. A closed canteen block adds to the inconvenience on platform 2.
Govandi's platform 1A is an open-air joke - no roof, no lights: come one, come all, make it worse
Govandi
It is a constant fight to keep slums and its dwellers at bay. The railways needs to resurface platform 1A on the north end, put up a roof over it and ensure that all lights are functional. There are three FOBs and one with an elevated booking office that was shut. The entry-exit points on all sides are narrow and heavily encroached. "Approaches are blocked with encroachments. Also, too many people just while away time here, unnecessarily adding to the crowd," said Narendra Dwivedi, a commuter.
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