All Navi Mumbai railway stations will soon have escalators as the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has floated tender. At present, there is no escalator at any railway stations in Navi Mumbai. Last year, Thane MP Rajan Vichare had visited 11 railway stations in Navi Mumbai and promised to set up the escalator or lift.
As per the plan, all railway stations under the Harbour line of Central Railway will get an escalator. Currently, CIDCO maintains railway stations in Navi Mumbai.
The planning agency has floated a tender to hire a contractor for design, manufacturing, installing, testing, passenger escalators at all Navi Mumbai Railway Stations. In addition, the contractor will have to provide necessary electrical, instrumentation, civil work including operation and maintenance for a period of 5 years.
Over the last few years, the population in Navi Mumbai has risen and people from adjoining areas frequently visit the city. However, the facilities at railway stations have remained the same.
Last year, Rajan Vichre, MP of Thane had visited 11 railway stations that see maximum footfall. He had promised to set up the escalator or lift at every station in Navi Mumbai. He had informed that the consultant was already appointed and the work is on for the installation of the escalator or lift. During his visit, CIDCO officials were present.
As most of the stations were built around 30 years ago, citizens in the satellite city say that the planning needs to upgrade railway stations to match the present demand. However, railway stations are in Navi Mumbai have been planned differently and CIDCO had mentioned in the tender document for the special design of escalators that can be installed. Instead of foot-over-bride, all the railway stations have subways.
As per the tender, once the contract is awarded, the work of installation and starting the operation will be completed in 15 months including the monsoon. The priority list or sequence of railway stations to get escalators will be decided by the central railway and CIDCO.
