Commuting to work daily is now a major hassle for the thousands of residents who booked homes in the fast-developing Chikhloli area between Ambernath and Badlapur despite being promised a new station here.
The said Chikhloli railway station is still merely a distant reality as the work has not inched ahead. Hundreds of residential complexes have come up in Chikhloli. With no railway station, residents are forced to travel to far away railway stations to commute to Thane or Mumbai for work.
From a small, deserted village, the population of this area has now increased to 50,000 with many more people settling in here. Most developers had sold flats citing the advantage of this station. With the property rates in Thane and other areas in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region being sky-high, most chose this option as homes were affordable here. A 1BHK flat costs between ₹20 lakh and ₹25 lakh while a 2BHK is between ₹35 lakh and ₹40 lakh.
“One major selling point for flats in Chikhloli and nearby areas was the new railway station. The developers sold several projects with the assurance of this station near our homes. However, there is no sign of the station,” said Tushar Bhamre, 35, who resides in a housing complex at Chikhloli, having shifted from Kalyan two years ago.
He added, “The station would definitely help save time for most of us as at present we prefer going to Ambernath railway station to travel to Mumbai. However, it is far and takes more than half-an-hour during the peak hours while the station in Chikhloli would have been merely five to seven minutes from home.”
The need for a new railway station between Ambernath and Badlapur station has been highlighted for almost a decade. The first proposal for this railway station was made in 2014. After the railway board failed to respond to the 2014 proposal, a new one was sent in 2017. In December 2020, the railway ministry approved the new station in Chikhloli and also planned to complete the work by 2023. The distance between Ambernath and Badlapur is 10km as compared to the average distance of 2km between two stations in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region. The proposed Chikhloli station is expected to ease commuter load at both the stations.
Another major concern among the residents is the auto rickshaw fares, which is ₹80 to ₹100 for a direct auto. There are share autos for a lesser fare. However, they might not always be available.
“Commuting to the nearby station will be much cheaper and won’t bore a hole in our pockets. The project is almost a decade old and there should have been some progress,” said Mohan Rajput, 39, another resident.
Sunil Chaudhari, a developer from Ambernath region, said, “The Chikhloli region in Ambernath has several housing projects coming up in recent times. The housing here is affordable. So many people prefer to invest here. The railway station will be a major aspect for those who are investing here. As per the information received from the railways, the project got stuck in land acquisition issues due to which it was delayed.”
The railways, in its study, has observed that in the past five years, the commuter footfall at Badlapur and Ambernath stations have increased owing to mushrooming of real estate projects in Ambernath, Badlapur, Karjat and Kasara.
The railway had submitted an engineering-scale plan and abstract financial estimate of the proposal. As per plan, the new station will be 4km from Ambernath and 6km from Badlapur.
Sunil Udasi, chief PRO, MRVC, Said, “A new station named Chikhloli has been planned in between Ambernath and Badlapur railway stations. This station shall be constructed under the project work of third and fourth lines between Kalyan and Badlapur sanctioned under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-Phase-IIIA). Cost of this project is shared on a 50:50 basis by the Government of Maharashtra and Ministry of Railways. Construction of Chikhloli station involves acquisition of approx. 8ha of land. Process of acquisition of land is in progress and shall be completed soon and work of the new Chikhloli station shall be carried out along with the third and fourth line project.”
