Former Indian cricketer and Rajya Sabha MP Sachin Tendulkar has brought up the debate again for the creation of a single zone for Central and Western Railways by writing a letter for the same to Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal.
In his letter, Sachin Tendulkar wrote,
I am sure you will support this idea beyond the difficulties of implementation, it will provide much-needed focus, budgetary assistance and exclusive administration to the needs of the people of Mumbai.”
The plan of merging the lines was attempted in July 1999 with the formation of the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) – a joint venture of the Indian Railways and Maharashtra government. It was created to run the suburban rail network, says an MRVC official. Then again, in December 2015, the Railways responded to a similar query, saying that combining a single zone for Mumbai is not possible and practical.
The former cricketer argued that a common body would “help optimise management of suburban railway stations and surrounding railway-owned land, and enable speedy decision-making, holistic planning and execution of projects. It will also free Mumbai suburban from overall supervision of Indian Railway, which is already occupied with daily major operations.”
However, the rail officials voiced their disagreement saying there were several technical difficulties for the combined suburban system not being possible. A senior rail officer told Free Press Journal,
Mumbai’s rail system is complex and comprises of not just local trains but also long distance and goods trains. There are two different zones operating in the same city and amalgamating businesses and operations are very difficult.”
The senior rail officials have still assured that a committee will be constructed to look into Tendulkar’s suggestion.
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