Commuters in Navi Mumbai are expected to benefit from improved railway services as stations currently managed by CIDCO will soon be officially transferred to Central Railway. The transition, expected to be completed within the next six months, aims to address long-standing issues related to maintenance, safety, and passenger amenities.
The decision was finalised during a joint meeting held at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, attended by Thane MP Naresh Mhaske, senior officials from Central Railway and CIDCO, along with Shiv Sena representatives.
As part of the agreement, Central Railway will take charge of pre-monsoon maintenance work, daily station operations and the overall transfer process. The move is expected to end years of administrative uncertainty that had left several Navi Mumbai stations with deteriorating infrastructure and limited upkeep.
According to officials, maintenance contracts for stations on the Vashi-Belapur and Kharghar-Khandeshwar routes had expired as early as 2003 and 2008. Several other stations, including Airoli, Rabale, Ghansoli, Koparkhairane, Turbhe, Bamandongri, Kharkopar and Kharghar, reportedly had no maintenance agreements in place.
During the meeting, Mhaske emphasised the urgency of upgrading railway infrastructure in view of Navi Mumbai’s rapid urban expansion, driven by projects such as the Navi Mumbai International Airport and ongoing highway widening initiatives.
Under the proposed plan, stations will be renovated through the Amrut Bharat scheme, closed ticket counters will reopen and pending subway as well as foot overbridge works at Rabale, Digha and Airoli will be completed.
Central Railway officials have provided a written assurance that both the transfer process and maintenance works will be completed within six months, raising expectations among commuters for safer, more efficient and reliable rail services across Navi Mumbai.
Source: Newsband
