Central Railway plans to complete Parel terminus work by year-end

In the past few years, the number of commuters using Parel-Prabhadevi stations has increased significantly with central Mumbai emerging as the new commercial district

From next year, central railway (CR) commuters may be able to take trains originating at Parel, as the deadline for completion of Parel terminus has been pulled back to December 2018 from March 2019.

The project, estimated to cost ₹51 crore, was announced under the second phase of the ambitious Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-2)(HT File)

In the past few years, the number of commuters using Parel-Prabhadevi stations has increased significantly with central Mumbai emerging as the new commercial district. The project, estimated to cost ₹51 crore, was announced under the second phase of the ambitious Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-2), but it got a push after last year’s stampede killed 23.

As part of the plan, CR will start trains towards the north (Thane or Kalyan) from Parel to ease the pressure off Dadar station. The terminus will come up on platform number one, which handled Kalyan-bound trains until the new platform was built, said a senior railway official. Also, CR will build two lines on the north-end of the station, where the trains will be parked. The authorities have started to shift unused old railway tracks towards the west, ahead of the expansion of the slow line platform, by up to 1.5m. Once the platform is widened, it will be linked to the new FOB through an escalator and staircase. The construction of dead-end for the terminus on platform number one is also on.

“The project was to be completed by March 2019, but now the deadline has been revised,” said the official, requesting anonymity.

Another railway official said only a couple of projects can be completed before the Lok Sabha elections and Parel terminus is one of it. “So the deadline was changed in the recent joint review meeting,” he said.

Phase one of the work of the terminus has been completed. A six-m and 20-ft wide FOB and a platform to the west of the station were commissioned recently. The newly built FOB on CSMT side and the one built by the Indian Army towards Dadar side have made it possible for commuters to reach Parel directly from Tulsi pipe roadside. Earlier, they had only one option – FOB between Prabhadevi and Parel.