Elevated corridor, escalators, new rail corridors and air-conditioned trains are in the pipeline for several years.
Mumbai has a list of ambitious railway proposals lined up but lacks funds.
Elevated corridor, escalators, new rail corridors and air-conditioned trains are in the pipeline for several years.
The Union railway ministry is keen to complete most of these projects through investment by private players so that they could be upgraded real time and that development does not lag.
Former managing director of Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation PC Sehgal said that Mumbai suburban railway earns around Rs1,000 crore annually and that the fare should be hiked to give quality service to commuters.
Harbour line commuters are hoping to gain from the Rail Budget to be presented on March 14.
"The Rs810-crore proposal of running 12-car trains on the harbour line is pending. Harbour trains are overcrowded and the quality of service is bad," said Madhu Kotian of Mumbai Railway Pravasi Sangh.
Its other demands include paying compensation to the injured, running more ladies special trains and increasing the height of platforms.
Shailesh Goyal, former member of National Railway Users Consultative Committee (NRUCC), said Mumbai badly needed more local trains and the railway board should arrange for their supply.
"All suburban stations should have lifts and escalators for senior citizens. The Railway Ministry should also look into air-conditioned locals and double-decker trains to Ahmedabad. There should be more trains for Saurashtra and Kutch regions," Goyal said.
Subhash Gupta, another former member of NRUCC, said that improving Harbour line and running 12-car trains on them should be a priority. "The railways has many projects, but no money. The ministry should allocate proper funds for the projects that are sanctioned within a time frame. If this is not done, the cost of projects escalates and then completing them is not possible," he added.
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