Two more platforms to be developed at Lokmanya Tilak Terminus; operational capacity to see a boost

Authorities from the Central Railway (CR), in a recently released statement, informed that the department has decided to construct two additional platforms at Mumbai's Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) railway station.

As of now, LTT has a total of five platforms and work on constructing two additional platforms has already begun. Officials expect this to be completed by December 2023 post which it will be made operational for the public. Sharing more details regarding this, a CR official said, "More platforms would mean that more services can be operated from this station. Approximately 6-7 additional services can be run from LTT once both the platforms are ready. Currently, an average of 26 long distance trains are being operated daily from LTT which carry about 25,000 passengers on an average."

The department has confirmed that a lot of land is available adjacent to platform 5 on the western side of the station. Meanwhile, to ensure the work is completed on time and to avoid distractions, the department has planned on implementing a special traffic block from November 8 to December 12, 2022. Owing to this, certain changes will be made in the current schedules whereby trains might depart and arrive at alternative platforms or stations.

Updates shared by the railways mention that the Thiruvananthapuram-Netravati Express, Mangaluru Central-LTT Matsyagandha Express will leave from Panvel for the next few days. In addition to this, the Bareilly-LTT and Kamakhya-LTT Express are being departed from Thane for a shorter period.

In 2003, the CR decided to extend the LTT stations as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) was unable to handle the pressure of express trains. Further to this, in 2006, the department decided to upgrade this station basis which the Mumbai Division of CR approved the design for the construction of a magnificent station complex which replaced the dilapidated terminus structure.

On the other hand, officials at the CSMT station – the city's largest railway terminus – have planned to extend the platform without disrupting the existing traffic which would mean that the station will be able to accommodate longer outbound trains with increased carrying capacity.