Could Badlapur become a rail hub? Terminus and upgrades planned

There is good news for all those struggling in crushing loads of Badlapur trains and beyond Kalyan A delegation of local leaders on Thursday gave a proposal to the railway minister seeking upgrades The proposal seeks to develop Badlapur station as a terminus start a new Vande Bharat from Badlapur to Pune and build two new suburban railway stations and a new branch lineA key meeting was held in New Delhi with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to discuss the growing issues in the Badlapur area The meeting was attended by Palghar MP and former Badlapur municipal president Rambhau PatkarBJP MP Ram Patkar in blue meets Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw left in New Delhi PICBY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTElaborating about the meeting Patkar said ldquoWe have been consistently pursuing solutions to the problems faced by lakhs of railway passengers in Badlapur city The meeting will accelerate several important demands and in the future railway facilities in the Badlapur region will improve significantlyrdquo After hearing the presentation Vaishnaw appreciated the thorough preparation and directed the departments to examine the proposals with a positive approachStatus of stationAn official said that the MRVC has undertaken various development works at Badlapur station a crucial suburban station with the highest footfall between Kalyan and Karjat These upgrades aim to enhance passenger convenience and are being executed in phases The ongoing and upcoming works include two additional 12meterwide foot over bridges and a 150meterlong deck connecting the home and island platforms along with a middle 12meter foot over bridge The cost of the project is approximately 80 croreThe proposalsBadlapur TerminusA major proposal to grant ldquoterminusrdquo status to Badlapur railway station was presented during the meeting Vaishnaw responded positively and directed officials to submit a detailed report on the proposalNew station and lineAnother proposal discussed was the construction of a new railway station at Chamtoli Kasgaon between Badlapur and Vangani along with the development of a new railway line between Kasgaon and Kamothe The railway minister responded favourably and instructed officials to prepare a Detailed Project Report DPR for the project He also directed the Divisional Railway Manager DRM to conduct an onsite inspection and submit a detailed reportGuravli stationThe meeting also discussed the proposal to build a new Guravli railway station ahead of Titwala It was pointed out that many local and other trains originating from Badlapur frequently run late The minister assured that most of the demands raised would be examined and action would be takenVande Bharat ideaVaishnaw also ordered a study on the feasibility of starting a BadlapurPune Vande Bharat Express service Considering the growing passenger traffic at Badlapur station discussions were also held on extending the length of the platforms After the extension the possibility of providing halts for express trains at Badlapur station will be considered positivelyOfficial speakCentral Railway officials said work on redevelopment of the station at Badlapur was already underway being undertaken by Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited However no fresh instructions for any study have been received so farVoicesNandkumar Deshmukh president Mumbai Suburban Railway Passengersrsquo FederationlsquoBadlapur is crying for help The crowds there have more than doubled This proposal if it really gets through will change the face of Badlapur station It will absorb the growing population and their commuter needs Patkar has done what any other MP from Mumbai has been unable to do so far We are thankful to himrsquoAnup Suresh Mhetrea commuter a commuterlsquoConsidering the growing population and the new projects coming up in Ambernath and Badlapur all of this could indeed prove to be a very promising prospect for the future This project has to work out and if the minister is serious he will ask the railways to take it uprsquoHarshad Chambawane a commuterlsquoThe expedited completion of new lines and the remodelling of Kalyan station are urgently needed The work currently underway is progressing far too slowly Even the 15coach train project continues to drag on With the PanvelKarjat line soon operational the KasgaonKamothe project no longer seems as critical and the chances of it receiving approval appear slim It would be highly beneficial if the Vande Bharat service were introducedrsquo