Thane commuters ask: Platform extension fine, but where is the roof?

While the Central Railway (CR) has been jubilant that they had managed to upgrade two Mumbai stations within a period of 63-hours, commuters at Thane complained that the extended platform would also need a roof cover as the monsoon season is approaching.

CR officials said that they were working towards it and they were on the job. Officials said the new extended platform will get proper flooring and a roof. They said that building a roof couldn't have been practically possible earlier as there were live overhead wires in place and after the platform extension, the support pillars of the platforms would need to be upgraded to take the additional weight of the extended roof.

Not doing so may result in a scenario similar to the Ghatkopar hoarding incident would happen, the official said. The platforms of 5 and 6 at Thane have been extended by 3 metres, thus on each platform there is 1.5 metres which is without any roof cover. "It will be a wet entry/exit into the train if the CR does not build a roof in time given the fact that the rains are so close now. The CR must expedite work on the roof," commuter Sanjay Shrikhande said.

"The CR should have taken up this work earlier in the month of March or April after which they would have got enough time to build a roof shed before the monsoon set in. Nevertheless, they should now do it ASAP," another commuter Mitali Rajwade said. "Safety will always remain the priority. We are on the job of erecting a proper cover over the platform, but it may take time. Meanwhile, we are trying to provide some temporary measures in the meantime," Mumbai's divisional railway manager Rajnish Kumar Goyal said.

CR shuts CSMT platforms 12-13 for extension

After successfully increasing the length of platforms 10-11 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to accommodate 24-coach trains, CR on Sunday started work on extending platforms 12 and 13 to accommodate 24-coach trains. The platforms 12-13 will be shut during the period of work. Platforms 14-18 are already long enough to accommodate 24 coach trains. However, no immediate block would be required for the work and operations would continue seamlessly. "Yes. We have started work on platforms 12-13 and shut them down for expansion. A block would be required after about five months when the works get over. However, the block would not be as long as this one as we have now completed the major chunk of other allied works like commissioning of electronic interlocking etc," a CR spokesperson said.

5&6
Platforms that have undergone lateral extensions