Thanks to Goregaon flyover, Oshiwara to become railway station

Itrsquos not just road commuters who will reap the benefit of the newly opened Mrinal Gore flyover which connects the east and west sides of Goregaon Thanks to the bridge the long awaited Oshiwara railway station is also expected to open in six months spelling easier travel for rail commuters as wellThe railways had first called tenders for Oshiwara railway station way back in July 2006 but work actually began only in 2007 PicsNimesh DaveThe Oshiwara station has been on hold for years because of the presence of a level crossing right next to it The level crossing opens for road traffic about 10 to 15 times a day and continues to disrupt train schedules throwing off timings by about 57 minutes each time But with the launch of the new Road Over Bridge road traffic will now be diverted away and the level crossing can finally be shut down for good This will allow the railways to extend the platform at Oshiwara station erect signals align rail tracks and complete the electrical worksThe new flyover will not only ease traffic between east and west Goregaon but will also bring relief to Harbour line commuters who will soon be able to board a train from Oshiwara stationSituated between the Goregaon and Jogeshwari stations the Oshiwara station will mainly cater to the Harbour line for which two tracks have been created The Harbour line is currently in the process of being extended beyond Andheri all the way to Goregaon The entire project is expected to be completed in six months Over the last couple of days concrete sleepers on which rail tracks are placed have been fitted between Goregaon and Oshiwara stationsldquoWe will need around six months or even less to open Oshiwara railway station We hope that even the Harbour line is extended till Goregaon by thenrdquo said Prabhat Sahai chairman and managing director at Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation MRVCResident speakOshiwara is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in the cityrsquos western flank and is home to several industrial estates and almost the entire television industry The new station will no doubt ease commuting woes for many of the residentsldquoThe railways wanted to shut this level crossing to start this station so we demanded that a provision be made for an ROB first I am happy that this bridge is ready and people can crossrdquo said TV actress Kunika Sadanand who is also a local resident and activistSujit Sonkar a resident of Adarsh Nagar said ldquoThis station will surely help locals here who otherwise have to go all the way to Jogeshwari or Andheri station It takes lot of time for motorists and wastes both fuel and money But now that Oshiwara station will open it will surely save lot of timerdquoldquoWe can divert the trains from the main line but then it will be an operational hazard as train services could get delayed So ideally the Harbour line too should complete till Goregaon in this six monthsrdquo said an official from Western RailwayReal estate boomMeanwhile real estate developers are already constructing buildings nearby in anticipation that the new ROB and station will create more demand in the area Sources said there are at least three new projects less than 2 km from the Oshiwara station At present the real estate price ranges from R1600017000 per square foot in nearby areas like Ram Mandir road and parallel to SV RoadldquoThere are few mega projects lined up there so more flats will be available for people near Oshiwara station though not much of a hike is expected in real estate pricesrdquo said Prakkash Rohiira real estate consultant and brokerThe BMC is also planning to extend the second arm of the ROB soon ldquoWe are contemplating extending the second arm till the Link Road We will begin the tender process after monsoonrdquo said S Kori chief engineer Bridges BMC However locals caution that with the new transport infrastructure and properties coming up the BMC should also ensure that SV Road is widened Already there are bottlenecks between Oshiwara and Goregaon stations where on SV Road shrinks from three lanes to a single lane