RailEnquiry

The alarming rise in the number of deaths due to crossing of railway tracks has forced the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to take notice, and earmark a hefty budget of `110 crore to curtail such incidents. The measure is a first-of-its-kind for the city, and will involve construction of escalators, foot overbridges (FOBs), boundary walls and green patches at six stations of both the WR and CR. The project is expected to be ready by 2014. The decision was taken in a meeting with the board of directors of the MRVC chaired by T.C. Benjamin, additional chief secretary of the State Urban Development Department on Monday. The World Bank, which funds railway projects in the city, has repeatedly raised concerns over the deaths on tracks. “For the first time, such a huge amount has been earmarked by the MRVC to reduce the number of deaths on tracks. The JJ School of Architecture has conducted a study on locations where major deaths are reported and has suggested remedial measures that need to be undertaken. Subsequently, 12 such stations were identified,” a senior MRVC officer, who was part of the meeting, said. The stations on WR, where the plan will be implemented include Dadar, Kandivali, Borivali, Bhayendar, Vasai Road and Nallasopara, while the stations on the CR include Dadar, Kurla, Kanjurmarg, Thane, Thakurli and Kalyan. The MRVC will construct 31 FOBs, six escalators, five elevators, one subway at Khar and a road overbridge at Thakurli. This project is over and above the development measures undertaken by the WR and CR administration. The officer pointed out that the MRVC signed a loan agreement with the World Bank for $430 million to upgrade rail infrastructure projects. The funds for this project will be used from this amount. “The idea is to provide convenient means to passengers to desist them from crossing tracks. It has been observed that at certain locations the FOBs are very far. Hence, measures such as escalators at certain FOBs, additional FOBs, building green patches, construction of boundary walls and track dividers will be undertaken with the money,” the officer said.