There's good news for Mumbai residents! Six more-foot overbridges are expected to be completed and open to the public shortly

As the number of people using train stations grows, the railways are scrambling to build new foot overbridges (FOBs) and connect them to elevated concourses. Three new FOBs were made available to the public this week. On April 1, a FOB between Seawood and Nerul was opened, while Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) added two more FOBs at Vile Parle and Charni Road last month. According to sources, six more FOBs are likely to be ready for public usage this year.

 

According to MRVC authorities, they are specifically targeting stations in the Mumbai metropolitan region. These are primarily outside of Mumbai, where crowding and footfall are higher. According to plans, the MRVC, which is the Mumbai rail planning authority, will build 86 additional FOBs on the Central and Western Railways' Main, Harbour and Trans-Harbour lines.

 

Out of these, 68 have already been completed, with the majority being constructed during the lockdown. "Of the remaining 18 FOBs, we've set a goal of having at least 6-8 FOBs ready for public use by December," an MRVC official stated on the condition of anonymity.

 

Kopar, Vashi-Sanpada, Kasara, Nalasopara and Dadar are some of the stations and mid-sections between two rail stations where FOBs are scheduled to be available. To reach the aim of 86 FOBs, senior officials expect to finish all remaining FOBs by July-August 2023.

 

"More FOBs have been requested, with the number of daily commuters in mind. More escalators on FOBs should be installed by rail officials to facilitate people movement "Rail Yatri Parishad President Subhash Gupta stated. On both the Central and Western Railways, there are currently roughly 63-65 lakh daily commuters. The daily average commuter count on WR is roughly 28-29 lakh, while it is around 34-35 lakh on CR. People appear to be roaming more freely and without masks now that masks are no longer required. The throngs are also steadily increasing. The MRVC erected 16 FOBs in 2019-20, 7 FOBs during the lockdown in 2020-21, and 10 more FOBs in the prior fiscal year of 2021-22.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @fpjindia