Thane: The railway station project between Thane and Mulund on CR’s suburban route seems to have hit a new roadblock—a tower supporting a network of high-tension power transmission cables running over the area where the new station is to come up.
The issue was discussed during a spot visit by Thane civic chief Saurabh Rao to review the project’s progress.
Civic officials said overhead high-tension lines and a tower supporting the cables are right in the path of the elevated deck connecting the station and the ramp. “We anticipated the roadblock in the design stage and told the authorities well in advance. But with no development on that front, we fear the project may be hit as we may not be able to commence work on the deck till we get a clear path,” an official said. The project’s deadline has been set as Dec 2025.
Officials said the civic body is working out solutions. Rao has asked MSEDCL to prioritise the tower’s removal in a month. “The overhead wires and its supporting tower may have to be pushed away or the cables taken underground,” an official said.
The Rs 263-crore project, which began in 2019, is being executed under the Thane Smart City initiative. Once built, it will cater to thousands of commuters from Thane-Mulund’s fringe areas. The project had earlier faced setbacks due to issues with land acquisition and slumdwellers’ rehabilitation. Once they were resolved, work finally began in Oct 2023.