MRVC to augment modernisation of railways in phases

Mumbai, Sep 20 (UNI) Mumbai Railways Vikas Corporation (MRVC), a public sector undertaking of Ministry of Railways, will be implementing the first two phases of Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) with a budget of Rs 6,825.40 crore for the purpose of World Bank funding, Managing Director of MRVC P C Sehgal here said.

The MUTP projects are divided into three phases. MUTP phase-I with a budget of Rs 3,125.20 crore includes works to be completed by June 2008. Some of the vital tasks in this phase are laying down the fifth and sixth tracks on the Kurla-Thane route, quadrapuling of Borivali-Virar section and the optimisation of the Western Railway and Harbour lines, according to Mr Sehgal.

The major infrastructural inputs in Phase-I includes the addition of 93 km track, resettlement and rehabilitation of affected families, running of 12-car rakes on all lines excluding Harbour lines by lengthening of all platforms, and achieving three-minute headway on all lines by respacing of signaling, Mr Sehgal added.

He pointed out that phase-II of MUTP project with a budget of Rs 3,700.20 crore, according to April 2005 prices, can be completed only by the year 2011-12.

This included laying down of fifth and sixth tracks between CSTM-Kurla and Thane-Diwa, extension of the Harbor line from Andheri to Goregaon and DC to AC conversion of CSTM-Thane sections.

Mr Sehgal emphasised that after completing phase-II works, present slow and fast corridors of Western Railway between Mumbai Central and Borivali and of Central Railway between CSTM and Kalyan will carry only suburban trains.

He pointed out that phase-III tasks, to be executed at a later stage, will include mainly air conditioning of coaches and noise reduction measures.

For the above reasons, operations of suburban trians can be controlled by MRVC in line with World Bank's recommendation to have common control and quicker attention to problems, Mr Sehgal added.

UNI GVS MJ KD DB0934