After months of delay, work on Parel Terminus begins
The work of the much awaited Parel Terminus has finally begun with construction works for the new platform.
The construction work of the platform, being constructed on the western side of Parel station, was started in December 2016. The total estimated cost for constructing the terminus is approximately Rs 51 crore.
A new mechanism called Route Relay Interlocking (RRI) is also being constructed as a part of the terminus which would help in handling high volumes of train movements. The work for the Parel Terminus will be completed by 2020.
The Central Railway officials said that the new terminus will help in decongesting Dadar station which is usually crowded during peak hours. Today, commuters face difficulties in reserving a seat while boarding a train at Dadar station as it is crowded during peak hours.
"There will an originating station at Parel which would help the commuters to easily board the train from the station without any difficulty and reserve a seat for themselves," said AK Singh, Public Relations Officer of Central Railway.
The central railway officials said that the terminus will have a total number of five platforms that will be connected to a central Foot Over Bridge (FOB). This bridge will have landing on the east, west and beyond the Western Railway tracks on the Elphinstone Road station.
The existing staircases leading to the FOB at Parel station will also be widened which would help the commuters to get more space to walk on the bridge.
"We tend to fight for space to walk on the FOB at Parel station during peak hours. The terminus will be a big relief for us as the bridges will be widened as a part of the terminus work," said Shweta Rao, a daily commuter at Parel station.
The terminus will have facilities of two double discharge platforms similar to the ones at CST station. The commuter will be able to board the trains from both the platforms.