Mumbai Metro nothing less than those in US: Piyush Goyal
The BJP’S Mumbai North candidate also assured railway commuters that the Harbour line will be extended till Borivali
MUMBAI: Union minister Piyush Goyal, who held the railways portfolio from 2017 to 2021, wooed commuters at the Borivali and Malad suburban stations on Saturday as part of his campaign for the Mumbai North Lok Sabha seat.
Along with senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders Gopal Shetty, Sunil Rane, Manisha Chaudhary and Pravin Darekar, Goyal took a Churchgate-bound train at Borivali. Ironically, the train arrived six minutes late at Malad station, where Goyal alighted and went campaigning.
During his speech, Goyal assured Mumbaiites that the Harbour line will be extended till Borivali, while also comparing Mumbai’s metro rail network to those in the United States. He claimed that ever since the Gundavali-dahisar-andheri (W) metro route (Line 7 and Line 2A) began, it has had an impact on the suburban trains.
“As per the latest figures from March, there has been a 6%-8% drop in the number of commuters using local trains, especially the Western Railway. The metro rail corridors in Mumbai are nothing less than those running in the USA thanks to our double-engine government,” said Goyal.
According to WR authorities, the work on the Harbour line extension is steady and picking up pace. The railways are currently clearing the land required for laying tracks. The deadline for this 8 km-long rail corridor is 2027-28. The stretch between Malad and Kandivali is crucial, where there are substantial encroachments on the west side.
Pain points
Even as Goyal wooed voters, commuters and railway passenger associations are hoping the candidates contesting the elections understand their plight by experiencing the crowded railway network. Around 6.5 million-7 million commuters use the 3,100 services on Western and Central Railways in Mumbai daily. Borivali caters to almost 500,000-600,000 commuters every day.
“These candidates should travel in local trains along with common people to understand the pain points. They should revive the concession given to senior citizens. The railway board should focus on more Sleeper coaches than AC ones,” said Ketan Shah, a member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee. “The Members of Parliament play a critical role in augmenting the speed of rail projects, passenger amenity works and other upgrades,” said Kailash Verma, a member of the
Railway Passengers Association.
Goyal challenges Rahul
Meanwhile, Goyal took a dig at the Congress party and its Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, which has still not declared a candidate for the Mumbai North constituency. “I will welcome Rahul Gandhi if he wants to contest from Mumbai North. He should fight from 4-5 constituencies. Then, maybe he might win one,” the BJP leader said.
Goyal also promised that slums in the constituency would be redeveloped and its residents rehabilitated after consulting with experts, especially where forest land and mangroves are involved.