Inclusion of the station in Phase I, ahead of crowded Dadar and Bandra, for Army-built FOB has surprised even Railways officials
The government on Tuesday announced immediate work on foot over bridges (FOBs) at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road and Ambivili stations to be taken up by the Indian Army. However, the Indian Railways had suggested five stations, including Dadar and Bandra, to the Defence Ministry, that needed to be addressed on urgent basis.
“We surveyed all the stations minutely and have taken a few decisions that revolved around providing convenience to passengers and ensuring their safety. Officers from the Railways and Defence Ministry surveyed the sites where there is heavy footfall,” said Piyush Goyal, Union Railway Minister.
Senior railway officials said that they were surprised to see Ambivili, which has a daily footfall of merely 81,000 commuters, in the top three stations. Both Bandra and Dadar — which have been left out for the time being — see over 2 lakh-2.5 lakh commuters daily. Ambivili station comes between Shahad and Titwala, which are more crowded.
Railway officials said that the audit report had mentioned the need to repair the only FOB there and construct two new FOBs at either end to give more entry/exit points. At present, commuters also resort to trespassing railway premises. “But trespassing is a case most of the stations in Mumbai,” said a railway official.
Now, the Indian Army has included carrying out work of constructing a new FOB at Ambivili apart from extending the ones at Elphinstone Road and Currey Road. “This will be the first joint effort wherein Army and Railways will participate in construction work aimed to fulfill larger needs of commuters. The Army has inspected and assessed where the bridge is going to be built,” said Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Defence Minister.
WORK ON DADAR, BANDRA IN SECOND PHASE
- Though the Army will being immediate work on foot over bridges (FOBs) at Elphinstone Road, Currey Road and Ambivili stations, senior railway officials have said that it is most likely that work at Bandra and Dadar will take place in the next phase
- There is already a proposal for constructing a skywalk connecting east and west
- A couple of days back, a huge fire at Garib Nagar — right outside Bandra station — had caused inconvenience to people due to the narrow FOBs there
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