With a steady rise in the number of commuters between Virar and Dahanu, passenger associations have now urged the railways and ministries for more local trains in the region.
Given the limitation of two lines beyond Virar, railway officials say that there may not be much help until the work on quadrupling (four lines) is completed. The work on the fourth line is progressing at a fast pace and is expected to be completed by 2025.
Explaining further, railway officials said that the situation between Virar and Dahanu is very critical considering only two tracks and the traffic situation and every train is balanced and punctual leaving no scope for more trains immediately.
As per the latest statistics, the number of average daily originating passengers beyond Virar is more than 20,000 with the highest number in Palghar, at 23,152; followed by Boisar at 22,770; and Saphale at 20,392.
The project of quadrupling the entire 63 kilometer line between Virar and Dahanu is being implemented at a fast pace by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
Recently, Western Railway has introduced 15 additional new services on Virar-Churchgate route.
Therefore, questions are being raised on not introducing any trains for Virar-Dahanu Road stretch.
Passengers association stated that local train connectivity is extremely limited for Dahanu Road owing to which, the situation worsens for commuters during peak hours. Currently, 20-coach MEMU trains, which are similar to that of locals, are running on the Virar-Dahanu Road section, then why not 15-coach local trains?
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