Thane, Dombivli and Diva have recorded a sharp rise in daily passenger numbers over the past five years, with Thane station alone witnessing an increase of over 1.42 lakh commuters between 2021-22 and 2024-25, raising concerns over crowding and safety
A screengrab from CCTV footage of passengers at Dombivli station. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Thane, Dombivli, and Diva rank among the top three stations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region on Central Railway to have experienced an explosion in terms of passenger numbers in the past five years. Among key stations between Thane and Thakurli, the former recorded the highest increase in daily footfall — rising from 1.23 lakh passengers in 2021-22 to 2.65 lakh in 2024-25, an increase of over 1.42 lakh commuters.
Thane railway station saw its daily passenger footfall increase from 1.23 lakh in 2021-22 to 2.65 lakh in 2024-25. Pic/Rajendra B Aklekar
Passengers and commuter organisations have expressed concern and called for better public transport options in addition to increasing suburban services, with some attributing excessive crowding in local trains, inadequate safety measures, and negligence towards the safety of passengers for the rising number of accidents on the railway network.
Five projects that will increase capacity
1 Platform extension to accommodate 15-coach trains at 34 stations on the CSMT-Kalyan fast corridor
What will it lead to: A 25% increase in passenger-carrying capacity
Deadline: Early 2026
2 Ongoing Kalyan yard remodelling
What will it lead to: Segregation of rail traffic, improving local services
Deadline: March 2027
3 Parel-Kurla 5th and 6th line
What will it lead to: A dedicated suburban train corridor between the Parel-Kalyan section and beyond
Deadline: Work is slowly happening in a phase-wise manner at the zonal level
4 Kalyan-Kasara 3rd and 4th line and Kalyan-Karjat 3rd and 4th line
What will it lead to: A dedicated express train corridor beyond Kalyan, making space for suburban trains.
Deadline: Phase 1, late 2026
5 Panvel-Karjat project
What will it lead to: New suburban corridor connectivity
Deadline: 2026
Words of concern
Advocate Sushma Dhakane, member, Karjat Grievance Redressal Committee
’Additional local trips should be increased between sensitive places other than Kalwa-Mumbra during rush hours. There should be an effective mechanism in place to control passengers standing near the door during rush hour, and a focused campaign run for students and passengers’
Siddhesh Desai, vice-president, Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh
‘Not a single politician is taking action regarding passenger issues. Why are there separate legislators for five lakh teachers but none for Mumbai’s 70 lakh railway passengers?’
Lata Argade, president, Federation of Suburban Passengers’ Association
‘There is an urgent need to change daily office hours, complete the Kalwa-Airoli link project, build a Metro line from Kalyan to Thane and run shuttle services between Thane, Kasara, and Karjat’
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