Title - Thane to become the next railway hub

With an aim to make Thane the next railway hub after Dadar, the Central Railway (CR) and the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) plan to improve the infrastructure at the station. “Thane station will be the next railway hub beyond Dadar,” said a senior railway official. The station is one of the major junctions for main and trans-harbour lines on the suburban network. To overcome the problem of congestion at the station, the CR has planned to build a new station at Kopari, between Mulund and Thane. According to railway sources, it will only be used for trains originating from Thane. Trains going beyond Thane won’t halt at this station.“Proposal for a new station is pending with the TMC,” said Vidyadhar Malegaonkar, chief public relation officer (PRO), CR. Malegaonkar said that there is no scope for new platforms owing to the lack of space. The new station will help in decongesting the present station.KD Lala, chief engineer, TMC, said that they are working on the CR’s proposal of building a new station and a project consultant will be appointed soon. The consultant will submit the project report in four months. The TMC has also sent a proposal for land acquisition for the project.According to railway sources, if the project gets approved, the TMC will have to work towards connecting the old and new Thane station. To provide respite to passengers till then, three new foot overbridges (FoBs) leading to the station are being built. “One of the FOBs is being built by the CR. The 12m-FOB will connect all the platforms at Thane station. Work on it is in progress and girders will be launched soon,” said AK singh, PRO of CR.The CR has undertaken the route relay interlocking and remodelling of Thane yard. It will help in increasing the speed of trains approaching the station. The CR also plans to extend platform number 5 and 6 to facilitate stoppage for 24-coach trains.