Country's most populated district's railway station lacks basic amenities

THANE: April 16 will be a historic day in the Indian Railways as the first train on the Indian soil ran on this day. According to records, the first train ever to run on the Indian soil was 158 years ago on April 16, 1853 between Thane and Victoria Terminus (VT) now known as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). But, Thane, one of the busiest and crowded stations has been again ignored in this year's rail budget.
The station, in terms of infrastructure, essential services and other amenities lag far behind.The 34-kilometre run that began at 3.30 pm amidst 21-gun salutes and applause from thousands about 158 years ago is now caters to crores of commuters. Several people crowd the Thane station literally struggling for a safe and relaxed journey but in vain.
The rail authorities are celebrating the anniversary week whereas commuters continue to suffer at Thane. The upgradation of 236 railway stations have been slotted in the current year's union rail budget in which passengers would be provided safe drinking water with better accessibility for the physically challenged among other things. But Thane has been ignored in spite of struggling to accommodate lakhs of commuters boarding trains to and fro to their destinations.
A glance at some of the most important requirements at Thane station:
Limited accessibility:
Over a period of time, there has been an increase in number of platforms and rail services. But accessibility to the station is limited as it was in the past. The serpentine queue at ticket windows situated at one the main entrances on platform 1 and 2 block the free movement of commuters especially during peak hours. The approach way to different platforms is just two existing foot-over bridges (FOBs) which are always crowded and crossing those FOBs is considered to be a tedious task. In case of emergencies or accidents, labourers are seen crossing tracks with the accident victim on a stretcher.
Inadequate seating arrangements for long distance travellers:
More than 1,500 services including local and long distance trains run on the Central line that passes through Thane station. Major long distance trains halt at Thane station but there is hardly any space reserved for commuters to wait and rest in case of train delays.
Senior citizens have to keep standing on platform 5 as there is hardly any space available to sit. Most of the time people are seen sitting on the platform floor itself. Concessions have been given in the railway fares in the current budget. Now, senior citizens would be given a concession of about 40 per cent in the railway fares. In addition to this, age of women in the senior citizen's category has been reduced to 58 from 60 years but absence of various basic amenities like rest rooms or waiting places will keep the agonizing commuting at Thane station alive.
Rest rooms:
There are no rest rooms on platform 5 and platform 7 from where all long distance trains depart to various destinations. More than 200 long distance trains halt at Thane station. Hence the rest rooms on these platforms are necessary for senior citizens and other commuters travelling in long distance trains.
Limited medical assistance:
In cases of accidents, the injured person or a corpse is kept on platform 2 near the police station. Currently only one ambulance is present for the service of lakhs of commuters. There is no dedicated medical team to attend to accidents requiring the basic first aid facility. Victims are taken to the government hospital for treatment where maximum amount of time is wasted during the journey.
Drinking water facility:
Looking at the number of commuters, it is necessary to provide with drinking water facility on each platform. The current number of commuters has already crossed near about five lakhs but the basic requirement of water still needs to be upgraded and made available on both sides of each platform. Just imagine crossing the current FOB during rush hours for a single glass of water!
No cleanliness and sanitation:
If claims of the railway authorities are taken for real, then Thane station recently got an award for being one of the cleanest stations. But the current status of the station does not resemble this mentioned environment. Spitting in public places is an offence but nobody is present to even monitor people spitting at the station. The toilet area near platform 2 stinks. Even the tracks between platform 6 and 7 remain littered.