New Year bonanza for Mumbai commuters

Mumbai, Jan 19 (IANS) Ahead of the upcoming general elections, the Centre has offered a bagful of bonanza for the eight million Mumbai commuters to be inaugurated here on Saturday, an official said.

They include flag-off of the much-discussed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhanai Express, MEMU services on Diva-Panvel-Roha section and Extended Pune-Karjat-Pune Passenger Train.

It would be the first Rajdhani Express from the Unesco World Heritage CSMT to the national capital, though the Rajdhani Express and August Kranti Rajdhani Express ply from the Western Railway route to New Delhi.

Monumental High Mast Flags, each around 100 feet tall, shall be unveiled at CSMT, Mumbai Central and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, as per a decision announced in November 2018 to project 'symbols of nationalism'.

A total of 75 stations falling in Category A-1 all over the country were selected for this initiative, including seven in Mumbai -- Kurla, Dadar, Thane, Kalyan -- besides the aforementioned three termini.

The Pen-Roha electrified section in Raigad will be inaugurated, besides two escalators at Panvel, and lifts at Bandra Terminus, Andheri and Borivali, plus foot overbridges at Prabhadevi, Belapur, Matunga Road, Jogeshwari, Andheri and Borivali.

Other important amenities will include 40 new ATVMs on Western Railway's Mumbai Suburban section, improvement of Lux levels at Dadar, LTT, Thane, Kalyaan, Green Stations at Roha, Pen and Apta, and New LED-based indicators at Ghatkopar.

Present on the occasion would be Union Ministers Piyush Goyal, Anant Geete and Ramdas Athawale, besides several Maharashtra ministers, Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, parliamentarians and legislators.