In the wake of the proposed Wadala-Ballard Estate corridor, plans are being considered to terminate Mumbai's Harbour line trains at Dockyard Road instead of CST
The Harbour line commuters, who are already cursing railways for the want of fast trains and better facilities, will have one more reason to do so.
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According to a recent discussion between various authorities from the railways, Mumbai Port Trust, Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation and a few other organisations, plans are being considered to terminate the Harbour line at Dockyard Road instead of CST.
Sources, who attended the meet, claimed the decision was being mulled to accommodate the much-needed 5th and 6th line on the CST-Kurla stretch. “Land availability is the biggest issue, especially between CST and Parel.
So we are considering the possibility of terminating trains at Dockyard Road and digressing the alignment on the proposed Wadala-Ballard Estate Harbour line,” a senior railway official said.
The proposed line will be partly constructed on the Mumbai Port Trust land after the Harbour line is diverted from Dockyard Road towards Ballard Estate. Sources claimed the port land is equipped with tracks for goods trains, which are not used on a regular-basis. Besides, there is space to lay two more lines for local trains that would hardly be 12 metres wide.
Once the Harbour line is diverted, the existing lines will then be available for the proposed 5th and 6th lines — for operating long-distance services. These two lines will allow long distance trains to bypass lines used by fast trains from CST to Kalyan.
It will also help improve timings for suburban services, as long distance trains starting from CST and Kurla LTT will not obstruct the movement of local trains. “The project requires demolition of numerous buildings and rehabilitation of people. This will make setting up 5th and 6th line an uphill task,” said a CR official.
Other ideas
Railway authorities also intend to construct a skywalk on P D’mello Road — between Dockyard Road and Sandhurst Road stations. This would help commuters wanting to walk to the Sandhurst Road station and take the main line train for CST. Or they can always travel on the same route till Ballard Estate.
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