Bridge to ease traffic snarls at Maninagar
Yogesh Avasthi
Posted On Thursday, February 24, 2011 (http://www.ahmedabadmirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20Latest§id=2&contentid=201102242011022403140252146170512)
Every day...
• 250 trains go up and down the line
• Railway crossing shut 100 times
• 2.5 lakh vehicles, 5 lakh people pass through the spot
• Waiting time ranges from 5-30 minutes
A little more patience, and commuters will soon be rid of serpentine queues at the Maninagar railway crossing. With more than 5 lakh people and 2.5 lakh vehicles passing through the spot every day, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on Monday finally agreed to the Western Railway’s long-standing demand for a railway overbridge at Gujarat’s busiest crossing.
The bridge will be ready by 2013.
The decision was taken at a special meeting between Divisional Railway Manager Ashok Garud and Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam. Also present were railway and civic officials.
Explaining how busy the route is, a railway official said, “As many as 250 trains — goods as well as passenger — go up and down the Maninagar line. Trains from Ahmedabad to Mumbai pass this way. Also, trains and engines that need repair and maintenance go to the Vatva shed through here.”
Each time a train or an engine passes by, the gate at the level crossing remains shut from five minutes to half an hour.
According to a WR survey, there are 19 lakh train vehicle units (TVU) at this level crossing, the highest among all places surveyed by them. The TVU per day is calculated by multiplying the number of trains with the number of road vehicles at the site. Different weightage is given during multiplication of two- and four-wheelers. Pedestrians and cyclists are not counted.
“If the TVU crosses 1-lakh mark, it qualifies for construction of overbridges as per railway norms. At Maninagar, the TVU has crossed 19 lakh and is increasing by the day. We have been trying to convince the AMC to build an overbridge at Maninagar for a long time now but the plans did not materialise due to technical issues. The meeting on Monday, however, bore fruit. Instead of the wide bridge we had originally sought, the corporation has agreed to build a narrower bridge. Even this will help ease traffic snarls,” said the DRM. He added that railway officials have started the paperwork needed to clear the project from higher-ups.
About the ‘technical issues’ causing delay, a senior railway officer clarified, “There is a BRTS station near the crossing. AMC was trying to avoid building a bridge as it will hamper the BRTS route. However, realising the gravity of the situation, the AMC has now agreed to build a narrower bridge. This will help them retain the BRTS design and ease commuters’ woes.”
Residents happy
When told about the decision, Maninagar resident Bharat Mistry who also runs a shop near the level crossing said, “The gates at the crossing are shut more than 100 times a day. Sometimes, the gates are opened then shut immediately as the frequency of trains is extremely high here. All this causes severe traffic jams. Residents and commuters will be very happy if the railway builds a bridge spanning the tracks.”
Rickshaw driver Bharat Jadav, who shuttles between CTM and Maninagar, said, “Sometimes we spend 30 minutes at the crossing. By that time, there is such a queue that it takes another 10 minutes to clear the tracks by which time the gates are shut again. It is a nightmare crossing this spot during peak traffic hours. There are times when my passengers have got down with their luggage and walked to the station and crossed over using the footbridge. The jams not only cost us in time but money, too.”
He added, “Buses too use this route as the highway is nearby. If a bridge, even a narrow one, is built here, there will be at least constant flow of traffic. This will prevent wastage of time.”
Faster trains
The move will benefit not just the common man, but the railways, too. “Currently, the gates have to be opened and closed so many times in a day that two people have been employed to man the crossing from 2 pm to 10 pm. There is a signal at every crossing. If the bridge is built, trains will no longer have to slow down here. Faster trains mean greater efficiency,” said Garud.
The AMC also agreed to the railway’s demand to build an overbridge at GST Crossing at Chandlodia. It will also widen the road intersecting railway tracks at Puneetnagar in Vatva and Jantanagar in Ramol.
The railway authorities have given AMC a list of 20 other railway crossings where TVU has crossed 1 lakh units. The civic body is expected to take a decision on it soon.
