80 new station lifts, escalators by March

Suburban railway commuters are likely to get additional amenities during their daily commute in the New Year. The Mumbai division of Central and Western Railway (CR, WR) have set a deadline of March 31, 2022 for 40 escalators and 40 additional lifts in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

At present, there are 84 escalators and 44 lifts in the Mumbai Division of CR. Similarly, the Mumbai Central division of WR has 71 escalators and 34 lifts.

As per the plan, four escalators each will be installed at Kalyan and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, GTB Nagar, Dombivali and Ulhasnagar stations will get two more escalators each by March 2022. The rest will be installed at other suburban stations as per passenger flow.

Byculla station will get three more lifts by March and Mulund station will get two new lifts under this plan. Kurla, Thakurli,

Kalyan and Titwala stations will also get one lift each.

"We are committed to providing the best amenities to our customers and passengers. The lifts and escalators will help ensure a smooth flow of passengers from stations to foot over bridges," said Shivaji Sutar, chief public relations officer of CR.

On the Western line, 20 new escalators will be installed by March 2022. “The process of installation of new escalators and lifts is underway and will be completed by the end of this financial year,” said a senior WR officer. Out of the 20, four more escalators will be installed at Mumbai Central, three at Virar and two at Vasai station. Malad, Kandivali, and Borivali stations are set to get one each, and the remaining will be allocated to other suburban stations.

Apart from escalators, WR will also install 20 more lifts in its suburban section, including three at Goregaon, two each at Dadar, Kandivali, Borivali, Nallasopara, Vaitarna and Palghar stations.