Mumbai: No more crossing rail tracks; skywalk takes shape in Thane

The skywalk is expected to be ready by the end of 2021

Finally, commuters trekking across railway tracks to reach home have some hope as a first-of-its-kind creek skywalk is taking shape in Thane. A site visit by mid-day on Thursday showed work in progress and expected to be complete soon.

The section of the creek over which the skywalk will go

The skywalk over the waterbed had been first proposed around 2012 by former General Manager Subodh Jain of Central Railway after Thane railway station emerged as one of the top three stations in terms of deaths caused by accidents and track crossing.

The nearby township of Vitava has a peculiar layout. Around 20,000-25,000 residents do not have proper access to and from Thane railway station and they have to tread along the track for some distance. This happens more in the morning and evening.

The railways then proposed a skywalk across a section of the creek and included it in the mega World Bank-funded project of developing anti-trespassing measures by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation. However, following negotiations, it was decided that the local infrastructure development body, MMRDA, would build it. A senior official at the site said that it would be one of the longest and rarest skywalks.

"The commuters today cross railway tracks to avoid a 30-minute walk from Vitava to Thane station. Using this skywalk, commuters will be able to access the station area in 10 minutes," he said, adding that the target is to complete the work by 2021-end. The lockdown has delayed the project a bit.

Locals claimed that the skywalk has come up late. "It is a perfect example of misplanning. It was planned and sanctioned nearly 10 years ago. After Thane, Kalwa station is becoming the focal point. The 5th and 6th lines and the new Kalwa-Airoli link will shift crowds from Thane to Kalwa. We need infrastructure development at Kalwa. I am afraid that this skywalk will not be used by many by the time it is complete. Commuter patterns would change by then," Siddhesh Desai of passenger association Mumbai Rail Pravasi Sangh said.

10
Time in minutes it would take to reach Thane stn via skywalk