The Central Railway (CR) has started demolishing parts of Parel railway station, which was renovated just over a year ago under the Amrit Bharat initiative. The goal was to modernise the station and improve passenger facilities and it cost INR 19 crore.
The demolition is taking place to make space for two new railway lines. These lines will pass through Parel station and connect to the proposed Parel Terminus. The new lines will be built at the site of the nearby railway workshop. This project is expected to cost INR 500 crore.
Parel station was one of four suburban stations selected for redevelopment under the Amrit Bharat scheme. The selection raised questions because plans for the new terminus have existed since 10 years.
As part of the renovation, several new facilities were added. These included an upgraded ticket booking office, a new toilet block with a sewage treatment plant, and an elevated parking facility for two-wheelers. A new station building was constructed on the east side. The station also received a lounge area and a small garden.
Many of these newly built features are now likely to be removed. The fifth and sixth railway lines will pass through these areas. The new lines will separate long-distance and suburban train services. They will also provide access to the planned terminus.
Construction work is already affecting the station. An expanded foot over bridge (FOB) is being built in the area where the mini-garden was created. This will include stairways and escalators.
As per reports, officials are trying to protect some of the new infrastructure but acquiring land for the fifth and sixth lines has been difficult. The project has been delayed for years due to this. According to officials, it is not possible to shift the sixth line away from the renovated structures.
The double-deck Sewri-Worli Connector is being built at the same location as the Elphinstone Road overbridge. This limits the available space. Changing the alignment would not make sense because the Parel workshop is already aligned with the planned railway lines. The new terminus will be built there only.
The Union Railway Ministry approved the construction of the fifth and sixth lines on the Kurla-Parel route in December last year. In 2019, local trains from Dadar were shifted to Parel. This turned Parel into a suburban railway terminal. The new outstation terminal will reduce congestion at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
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