DNA Edit: Ground realities first - Central Railway’s underground line can wait for now

Central Railway authorities are exploring the possibilities of an underground fast line from CSMT to Thane aligned with its above-ground local version.

As DNA reported on Friday, it would be the first subterranean suburban corridor, since the Kolkata Metro, parts of which are below ground, which comes under the purview of the national network of the Indian Railways. If it comes to fruition, the proposed 33-km corridor will have five halts which trains are expected to cover within 21 minutes.

However, on the ground, realities are more glaring than underground pipe dreams. The CR has some daily glorious and not-so-glorious distinctions in its name. It along with its rail cousin Western Railway transports nearly 7.8 million Mumbaikars a day. CR alone accounts for transporting 43 lakh commuters daily, courtesy its 1,774 services.

On the Central Line, it ferries people to and from as far as Karjat (74.7 km) and Kasara (119.5 km)  from CSMT. However, daily services are fraught with endless difficulties. CR trains are known for their lack of punctuality, overhead wire failures, and deaths happening due to commuters walking on tracks or due to the lack of level crossings with gates.

Come rains, delays and intermittent shutdowns halt people’s travel and their work routines go for a toss. The reality is so bad that recently commuter associations between Thane and Kalyan wrote to Union minister for surface transport Nitin Gadkari, asking him to provide at least a parallel road across that stretch so that if CR services fail then people could rely on roads to help them.

Recently, a political delegation of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in its bid to become flag bearers of public distress met the authorities of Central Railway. They were shocked to hear the admission of guilt from officials, who said they were already running 1.5 times their stated capacity and it will take another 20 years to fix the service already bursting at its seams.

The underground line project is at its nascent stage. It will take at least two years for detailed planning. Surely the people of Mumbai will have to wait long even if the railways decides to go ahead with this ambitious project.

Experts opine that since the project will be executed beneath railway land and dug below existing rail lines, delays due to rehabilitation and court cases could be averted. Mumbai has very few business districts on its central side compared to the western. Hence, till such time industries develop and job growth happens faster, cheaper and increased mobility is indeed the need of the hour. The underground rail service could address that in the long term. In the short term, CR could be content with running trains on time.