Central Railway: Long-awaited new Chikhloli station to finally see light of day

Surveying work that was carried out for the proposed station in 2020

Railways has begun the process of building the long-awaited Chikhloli station between Ambernath and Badlapur. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) on Wednesday floated tenders worth R81.93 crore for the construction of a new suburban railway station along with other allied works at Chikhloli in connection with the proposed third and fourth line between the Kalyan and Badlapur stations of the Mumbai Division Central Railway.

The construction of the station received a nod from the ministry of railways in 2019 and the MRVC had finalised a concept for two additional 14-km lines between Kalyan and Badlapur, which includes the new station, segregated under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3-A (MUTP 3-A) at a cost of around Rs 1,510 crore.

"The opening of bids for the new suburban station will be on November 23 and once the contractor is finalised, work will be completed within 24 months," an official said.

As per the commercial records, the station will be set up 64.17 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). It would be located at a distance of 4.34 km from Ambernath station and 3.1 km from Badlapur station. The construction of Chikhloli station involves the acquisition of approximately eight hectares of land.

The overall plan is to have two lines, one on either side of the existing tracks, to boost capacity. From the Kalyan side proceeding to Badlapur, a new line will be constructed on the east side of the Karjat-bound track while another new line will be constructed on the west side of the CSMT-bound track as there is not enough space to have both the new tracks on either side of the existing lines. The tracks will then be joined in a way to make two sets of up and down tracks, one of which will serve suburban trains while the other pair will be used by the main line and goods trains.

Shailesh Raut, president, Kalyan-Kasara Railway Passenger Association, said, "It is good news indeed. We have been waiting for the station since it was sanctioned four years ago. Local residents here and commuters have been eagerly awaiting the construction of the station as there is too much of a gap between Badlapur and Ambernath and those who stay in the region suffer badly as they have to walk or take autos or whatever mode of transport is available from Badlapur and Ambernath stations."

2019
Year nod was given to build station