Your crowd, your circus: Railway to Metro

Delay in the Metro train led to a build-up of a huge crowd in Ghatkopar. Pic/PARESH NAGRANI

A snag in the Mumbai Metro Blue Line 1 on Tuesday morning again caused a crowd surge at Ghatkopar station's foot overbridge, resulting in long queues and clashes between suburban rail and Metro commuters. These are Metro commuters using the Railway's infrastructure, which leads to overcrowding and then the blame falls on us. The issue lies with the Metro train itself, and suburban railway passengers are also suffering due to this crowding. Metro should manage their passengers within their own premises and not burden our already crowded station infrastructure.

The Metro station has multiple floors and can accommodate all the crowd inside the station if they want to at least temporarily till the upgraded Ghatkopar station gets ready. The actual train platform is on the topmost floor and the entry of commuters is blocked at the entry point itself leading to this crowd spillover. If there is a stampede tomorrow, the blame will be on the Railways," said a railway security official.

Sources indicated that a delay of about five minutes in Metro trains during peak hours at Ghatkopar results in a build-up of around 1,500 to 2,000 commuters. Divisional officials noted that they have repeatedly addressed the issue with the Mumbai Metro team through follow-ups, letters, and reminders, but there has been little response. Divisional railway officials said they have done so many inspections and written so many letters but in vain.

Railways upgrading Ghatkopar

The Railways are now upgrading Ghatkopar station to manage the additional load following a series of reports in mid-day. "The Ghatkopar station upgrade by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is at a crucial stage. Once completed, the difference will be noticeable, as the project involves a seven-point plan with multiple bridges and interconnected elevated decks. While phase one of the project is complete, the works near the Mumbai Metro station fall under phase two and will resume in full force after the monsoon. Until then, the Metro needs to cooperate," said a railway official.

Metro takeover on hold

Commuters have noted frequent issues with Blue Line 1. "The Metro One network needs an upgrade with more new rakes and an increase in the number of coaches from four to six, as was planned from the start but not implemented. Otherwise, we risk lives in a stampede; upgrades are needed urgently," said a commuter.

The takeover of Mumbai Metro by the MMRDA has also been delayed. The Maharashtra government recently decided to roll back its decision to purchase the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Mumbai Metro Blue Line 1. About three months ago, in March 2024, the state had planned to buy the Metro. The decision to not proceed was made after a recent cabinet meeting. Sources indicated that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) faced funding issues and legal complications with the procurement process. Commuters are eagerly awaiting upgrades, especially the increase in the number of coaches from six to eight.

A Reliance Infrastructure spokesperson said, "MMRDA is a valued partner of MMOPL, which has been serving Mumbaikars for the past 10 years. During these 10 years, we have carried over 970 million passengers and completed over one million trips. Each train has also completed one million kilometres. MMOPL has achieved many milestones, and we still have over 20 years left in our concession agreement. We will continue to serve Mumbaikars with a punctuality of 99.9 per cent."

MRVC's seven-point plan for Ghatkopar upgrade

>> 12m wide footbridge with double discharge proposed at the Kalyan end to replace the existing 4m wide footbridge.
>> 12m footbridge is proposed in the middle at the north end of the existing 12m wide middle FOB.
>> 12m footbridge with double discharge at the CSMT end to replace the existing 4m wide footbridge.
>> 7.5m wide elevated deck to connect the Metro station and all foot-over bridges.
>> Staircase/ramp connections proposed with the Metro station.
>> A skywalk is proposed along the road connecting to the Metro station.
>> 6m wide connection is proposed to the existing BMC skywalk.