Thane station to get deck over platforms, museum, bus terminal
In a major makeover, the Thane railway station will get a deck over the platforms, an architectural museum and a bus terminus in the coming days. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Central Railway (CR) have come up with a detailed plan for the redevelopment of the station area.
Thane: In a major makeover, the Thane railway station will get a deck over the platforms, an architectural museum and a bus terminus in the coming days.
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and Central Railway (CR) have come up with a detailed plan for the redevelopment of the station area.
During a meeting with railway officials on Wednesday, TMC commissioner Abhijit Bangar urged the railway authorities to ensure a smooth movement of passengers in the railway station area and take measures to improve traffic movement.
Thane station is historically important and one of the busiest stations on the CR, witnessing an estimated 6.5 lakh passenger footfalls daily as several long-distance trains along with suburban trains also halt at the station.
In view of this, a grand deck connecting Thane East and West will be constructed on the existing 10 platforms.
The deck will help in reducing overcrowding.
On this deck, necessary services like a waiting room, ticket office, toilet etc will be available. The deck will be connected to the Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS) project in Thane West and East. Also, the construction of a multi-storied parking plaza for two and four-wheeler vehicles and three to four commercial buildings will be constructed by the railways in the outer lateral space.
A museum providing historical information about the station will be set up. The first-ever train in the country chugged between erstwhile Bori Bunder and Thane on April 16, 1850. A replica of the train that ran on coal will also be showcased in the museum.
The TMC commissioner said that “30% of the passengers exit from the east side of the railway station, while 70% from the west. Gokhale Road and Shivaji Path are always crowded. In order to decongest them, there is a need to have a hawker-free zone, additional parking facilities and traffic management to have free space for pedestrians,” Bangar said and added that an additional passenger pressure is coming from the western side due to the ongoing SATIS work in the east.”
The TMC commissioner said that the work of the SATIS at Thane East is in the final stage and it will be completed in the next 8 to 10 months. Along with this, there is a proposal for a bus terminus in the east.
A preliminary-level discussion was held in the meeting. A policy will be finalised by organising a further meeting with the deputy commissioner of transport and a report will be submitted to the municipal commissioner.
“Even though there is a SATIS in Thane West, which helps divert the flow of buses and vehicles, there is a lot of congestion on the station road caused by autorickshaws, hawkers and vendors. There should be a major plan for the autorickshaw stands, parking and hawkers. If these aspects are also taken care of, the entire station can be decongested,” Mukesh Shinde, 39, a commuter, said.
Source - hindustantimes.com
