Mumbaiites travelling from the business hub of south Mumbai may soon be able to reach the proposed Navi Mumbai airport faster by train than road. Thanks to a proposed elevated corridor between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Panvel, the journey to the new airport is expected to take an hour. Currently, it takes 90-120 minutes (depending on traffic) to cover the distance by road.
The Rs10,870.2-crore project will ensure a hassle-free travel as the railways will directly connect Seawoods railway station on harbour line to the Navi Mumbai airport. The 49-km elevated corridor, built by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), will pass through Palm Beach Road in Vashi, cross the Uran creek and take a diversion from Seawoods railway station for the new airport.
According to the plan, commuters will be able to reach the Navi Mumbai airport, the deadline for which is 2019, from Seawoods railway station in 20 minutes. The journey from CSMT to Panvel will take 50 minutes.
The detailed project report, prepared by MRVC, aims to not only connect the Navi Mumbai airport to south Mumbai but the Mumbai airport. People can alight at Mankhurd railway station (part of the elevated corridor) and board a Metro from there to reach the Mumbai airport. Mankhurd is one of the proposed stations on the Metro-2A corridor.
“The MRVC will build the rail pathway connecting the Navi Mumbai airport to Seawoods railway station. Both airports will be connected from the elevated corridor, and commuters will be able to reach with the help of direct rail connectivity,” said Sanjay Singh, spokesperson, MRVC
The elevated corridor will begin from the P’D Mello entrance of the CSMT railway station near platform number 18 and 19. The current harbour line platforms will be shifted from platform number one and two to the P’D Mello entrance.
The elevated railway line will run above the existing harbour line.
Metro-like coaches
According to a study, the elevated corridor will cater to 8 lakh passengers daily by 2025. It will resemble Metro corridors and have Metro-like coaches, which will be procured in the last stage of the project.
The elevated corridor is a part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-3A (MUTP), which has been sent to the railway board for its approval. Railway minister Piyush Goyal has kept the MUTP-3A projects costing Rs49,524 crore on the front burner and is expected to receive a green signal from the cabinet in August. The work on the corridor is likely to begin from December.
MRVC officials said the elevated corridor will be the first MUTP-3A project to be taken up.
“The target to complete all the projects is December 2023. The bidding documents for work on Vashi creek are currently being prepared, and tenders will be invited as soon as the approval is received,” said a senior MRVC official on condition of anonymity.
(Source: www.hindustantimes.com)
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