01 December,2010 07:13 AM IST | | Vedika Chaubey
Prepare for more waterlogging at Lower Parel station as tracks are being lowered. The good news you will save on travel time
Do not be surprised if next monsoon you witness more flooding on the railway tracks near Lower Parel station.
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Western Railway (WR) is planning to lower the railway tracks at the station by 10 cm because of Direct Current (DC)-Alternate Current (AC) conversion.
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The tracks in this section were raised a few years ago because of the water-logging problem during the monsoon.
Tracks at Lower Parel, Elphinstone and Mahalaxmi stations were raised a few years ago because of the waterlogging problem during the monsoon
Every year, tracks at Lower Parel, Elphinstone and Mahalaxmi stations get flooded, as these are low-lying areas.
WR is in the process of DC to AC conversion. The work of DC-AC has already been completed between Borivli and Virar section. The conversion is being done to increase the speed of the trains.
The AC traction would make travel 25 per cent faster than DC trains. The voltage on AC traction is 25,000 V as compared to 1500V on DC traction.
However, the officials are not denying that if they pursue this work of DC-AC conversion, commuters might get stuck during monsoon.
"We are trying to find out some alternate solution by which we can relay the tracks and also the problem of future water-logging can be sorted," said a senior WR official.
According to the railway rules, the gap between any foot over bridge and the overhead equipment should be at least 5.5 metres.
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"Failing this, we have no option but to lower the tracks under the bridge by 10 cm," said the official. R N Verma, general manager, WR confirmed the lowering of the tracks for DC-AC conversion at Lower Parel.
However, Sharat Chandrayan, chief spokesperson, WR, said, "We will relay tracks under the bridge where no issues of flooding have been noted so far. However, we will take special precautions that commuters are not troubled."
Commuters from the Western Railway are, however, not happy with this decision.
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Shri Kumar, who travels between Goregaon and Charni Road, said, "Every monsoon we leave home without knowing if we will come back home safely.
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A few years ago I was stuck in the train between Lower Parel and Mahalaxmi stations because of waterlogging on the tracks."
Another commuter Sabina Rehman from Jogeshwari said, "Railways should first think about the commuters' problem and then anything else. Definitely they should come out with some solution where the tracks need not be relaid."
DC-AC conversion
DC-AC conversion from Virar to Churchgate and from Karjat-Kasara to CST was included in Phase I and II of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project. Phase I completed in 2009-10 and Phase II is still going on where the Borivli-Virar, Kalyan-Karjat, Kasara-Kalyan and Diva-Kalyan sections have already been converted.
