Mumbai: Rail passengers travelling from Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) will have better connectivity with other parts of the country as nearly 25 new outstation trains to northern India are expected to become operational in 2023. Two new outstation train terminals are under construction in Kalamboli in Navi Mumbai, and are expected to be ready next year. Two platforms for outstations trains are also set to come up in Jogeshwari, however the Western Railway is still waiting for the nod of the railway board before starting work on them.
At present, there are 462 outstation trains operating from different terminals in the city. With the addition, this number will go up to 487. There number of outstation train terminuses will also increase to 9.
Currently, a passenger residing in Navi Mumbai has to travel to Kalyan, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) or Thane to board outstation trains. The Kalamboli outstation terminus will host trains heading to New Delhi, Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The new Jogeshwari platforms are expected to cater to new trains heading to Gujarat and Rajasthan.
“Work on the new outstation train terminus is going on and will be completed within the deadline. The train terminus will not just increase connectivity but also reduce passenger city commuting travel,” said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relation officer, Central Railway.
“Western Railway has constructed two railway stabling lines, 530-m long in all, at the Jogeshwari railway station,” Sumit Thakur, chief public relation officer, WR, said. Stabling lines are railway lines wherein empty trains are stabled after arriving before they are taken for washing.
“The present outstation train routes are over stressed and operating at full capacity. After the new train terminus is functional, new local trains can also be operated,” said a senior Central Railway official.
The new terminal at Kalamboli will include two railway lines between Kalamboli and Panvel railway stations, an outstation train building, a train maintenance shed besides extending foot over bridges, building new ones and a subway for passengers.
Transport experts have stated that the construction of new terminals will facilitate reduction in crowding inside local trains. “As the population has shifted towards the north and people residing in suburbs and MMR have to travel to the city to board outstation trains, and this results in crowding. New terminuses will not just improve the outstation train network but also local train experience,” said AV Shenoy, a transport expert.