Central Railway developing infrastructure, parking space for empty rakes in Juinagar

Considering the inevitable rise in train traffic in Navi Mumbai with the completion of Nerul-Uran corridor, the Central Railway (CR) is developing a new infrastructure near Juinagar railway station. This includes additional space for parking empty rakes and a new rail bridge.

The train traffic in Navi Mumbai will increase to a great extent with the completion of the Nerul-Belapur-Uran railway corridor (phase II). More than 75% work in that corridor has been completed.

According to the railway officials, four stabling sidings for parking the empty rakes at the Sanpada end of Juinagar station are developed to make additional parking space. That area was earlier occupied by slum dwellers. The CR, which owns the land, vacated them and started working on the sidings a few months ago.

“For parking the empty rakes at nights and during noon (when the train frequency is low), we will need space. Hence, we are developing the stabling sidings in Juinagar,” a senior railway officer from Navi Mumbai said.

Secondly, the CR is developing a new bridge above a nullah at the Nerul end of Juinagar station. They are also laying tracks from the site of that bridge to the stabling sidings.

Shivaji Sutar, chief PRO of CR said, “We have a car-shed in Sanpada, where the routine maintenance of the rakes is conducted. We are developing the new bridge so that we can easily take our rakes from the stabling sidings in Juinagar to that car shed. We did not allocate a separate budget for this infrastructure. The stabling sidings and the bridge are being developed with our routine budget allocated for such projects.”

Bhakti Dave, president of Panvel Pravashi Sangh, said, “We recently met the railway officers and requested them to extend the Panvel-Goregaon services up to Borivali. We also requested them to provide more trains on that line. The railway officials informed us that a new platform is being developed at Borivali station and as soon as that is ready, the services will be extended and increased. So, apart from the Nerul-Belapur-Uran corridor, the number of trains will increase on the harbour line too. The railway authorities have taken timely action by developing new infrastructure in Juinagar.”