Mumbai: The Central Railway (CR), which has been working overtime to decrease congestion in the city’s suburban railway network, is ready with a new time table that will kick in from July 1.
While all new services traditionally originate from stations like Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, the new timetable will have services running between Kurla and Kalyan and Wadala and Panvel after considering changes in passenger demographics. A study submitted by activist Gaurang Damani to the Central Railway concludes that passengers have increased in the city’s north, and services are necessary from stations located to the north of CST station.
“I have submitted the survey and study of the passengers’ demographical shift northwards. Many stations have seen an increase in the number of passengers as compared to the previous years. So, instead of increasing services from originating stations like CST and Dadar, they should be increased at other congested stations,” Mr. Damani said.
Central Railway officials said they were almost ready with the new time table but were waiting for the Main Line time table to be announced first. “After looking at both, the suburban time table will also be announced. The Main Line (outstation) time table is expected to be available by July 1,” a CR official said, adding there could be as many as 25 new services.
The survey based on tickets sale shows 69,446,741 passengers used CST and 12,797,231 tickets were sold in 2012-13. At Kalyan station in the same year, the passenger count was 58,320,700 and 11,959,911 tickets were sold. Ravindra Goyal, Divisonal Railway manager, CR, said, “We are thinking to increase services but this time, it may be from between Wadala-Panvel and Kurla-Kalyan. There is a demographical change among passengers and they have increased in the north.”
According to Mr. Damani’s survey, which has been approved by the railways and used to formulate the new time table, passengers at CST and Dadar have decreased but have gone up at stations like Ghatkopar, Kurla, Thane, Diva and Kalyan.
According to CR officials, problems are being faced in train reversals and due to fewer stations where trains terminate. They are betting on the upcoming Parel terminus.“We are trying to reschedule the time table based on the increase in the number of passengers at particular stations like Kurla and Wadala. There are some studies that show an increase or decrease in passengers,” Mr. Goyal said.
Officials said existing services from CST will be unchanged. As of now, 90% of CR services originate and terminate at CST.
