Hawkers choke level crossing between CSMT and Kalyan, blocking roads and halting trains despite a new flyover lying idle
Vehicles stuck on the railway tracks at Diva crossing after heavy congestion on Friday. Pics/Shrikant Khuperkar
Chaos erupted at the Diva railway crossing on Friday — the only level crossing on the Central Railway’s busy main line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kalyan. Despite the phatak (gate) remaining open for 25 minutes, from 12.20 pm to 12.45 pm, road traffic refused to move due to severe encroachments on the east side of the crossing.
The stalled traffic spilled onto the railway tracks, bringing both road and rail movement to a standstill. As a result, several trains were delayed — down direction services were affected between Mumbra and Diva, while up direction trains were held up between Kopar and Diva.
Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and Central Railway staff rushed to the spot to prevent trespassing on the tracks. However, the real problem lay elsewhere — hawkers had taken over most of the road space on the east side, leaving little to no room for vehicles to pass.
This is not the first time Diva has faced such chaos. The issue continues despite the completion of a flyover bridge in 2023, built precisely to reduce dependence on the level crossing. However, encroachments on both the east and west approaches to the bridge have delayed its full use. Responsibility for clearing these encroachments rests with the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) — but officials have made little visible progress.
An executive engineer, Dhananjay Mode, involved in the project confirmed that land acquisition delays, especially on the western side of Diva, were caused by disputes with local landlords and residents. “Some landowners are demanding compensation up to five times higher than what TMC has sanctioned,” he said. “We’ve requested additional traffic personnel during Diwali, and after the festival, we plan to meet the District
Collector to expedite land acquisition and seek police protection. Completion of the remaining work may still take six to seven months.”
Local residents and daily commuters expressed frustration over the inaction of the TMC, traffic police, and RTO officials. They have demanded immediate removal of illegal stalls, restoration of smooth road traffic, and stronger coordination to prevent another disruption that halts both road and rail at once.
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