CR rejects as rumour the viral message about local EMU train connectivity till the Raigad towns; says it may be a ploy by builders to pump up real estate prices in the Roha and Pen region
CR officials confirmed that the only new local train project is on the Harbour Line
Coming soon: EMU local train services from Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Roha and Pen in Raigad district of Maharashtra". This message, which has gone viral across social media platforms, is giving sleepless nights to Central Railway (CR) authorities as numerous commuters are calling them at odd hours to confirm the veracity of the news. The stunned authorities, however, have vehemently dismissed the news as a rumour. According to them, the rumour may be the brainchild of over-ambitious builders trying to pump up real estate prices in Raigad by promising the innocent masses about local railway connectivity.
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No plans whatsoever
Sources said that the message, which claims that CR authorities have "approved" the project and ground-level work on the same has already begun, has been floating on social media platforms since last week. While work is definitely underway along that belt, it's not for the local train network. Sunil Udasi, CR's chief public relations
officer, said, "There are absolutely no plans to start EMU local trains between CSMT to Roha or Pen. Electrification work is underway along the stretch, but the same is for use of mail or express trains or for freight services. The only new suburban local train connectivity project on Central Railway, Mumbai division, is the one between Nerul and Uran on the Harbour Line. The viral message about EMU connectivity till Roha and Pen is a rumour. We appeal to the public to not fall prey to such mischievous messages."
Significantly, local railway connectivity is one of the key elements that builders use to sell properties in the outskirts of Mumbai. The viral message, in fact, also offers a detailed timetable of the proposed local trains till Roha and Pen.
The Panvel-Roha stretch connects the Konkan Railway and down south. Divisional Railway officials, too, confirmed that the authorities have no plans to start suburban train services to the Roha-Pen region. Subhash Gupta, former member of National Railway Users' Consultative Committee, said, "The Roha-Pen region, which falls under the periphery of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, is known for the posh farmhouses. It's possible that builders are floating such rumours to attract investors or buyers. It's great that the CR authorities have gone on record to squash the rumour."
Activist Amol Nikam agreed, "I was stunned when I saw that viral message, because I am aware that there are no plans to build a local rail network between CSMT and the Roha-Pen belt."
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