Dadar

Dadar is a neighbourhood in Mumbai, and is also a railway station on both the Western (Dadar) and Central lines (Dadar T.T.) of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network. Dadar is situated in the heart of Mumbai, and Dadar station is the only railway station common to both the Central and Western lines. This makes the station a transit point for thousands of passengers using the Mumbai Suburban Railway and one of the most crowded railway stations on the network.

History

In the 16th century, the area was known as lower Mahim as it was located on the island of Mahim, one of the Seven islands of Mumbai which, after Mumbai Island proper, was the most important during the whole of the Portuguese period. The Portuguese Franciscans built a church here in 1596 called Nossa Senhora de Salvação, which is popularly known today as Portuguese Church and is a familiar Dadar landmark.

The Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion scheme of 1899-1900 was the first planned scheme in Mumbai. The Bombay Improvement Trust devised the plan to relieve congestion in the centre of the town following the plague epidemics of the 1890s. According to the survey plan, 60,000 people were to be housed at Dadar-Matunga and an equal number in Sion-Matunga. 85,000 people were to be accommodated in the developments in Sewri-Wadala.

Mumbai Monorail

Mumbai Monorail is a monorail system in the city of Mumbai, India, part of a major expansion of public transport in the city. The project was implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), along with a consortium of Mumbai-based conglomerate Larsen & Toubro and the Malaysian infrastructure firm Scomi Engineering Bhd. It is the first monorail in India since the Kundala Valley Railway and Patiala State Monorail Trainways were closed in the 1920s. Construction began in 2009 and the first operational line, between Wadala Depot and Chembur, was opened to the public on 2 February 2014. Trains were run from 7am to 3pm IST in the initial stages, but extended to operate for 14 hours, from 6 am to 8 pm, from 15 April 2014.

History

Background

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) first proposed a monorail in 2005. According to the MMRDA, the bus service operating in the city plied crowded and narrow areas at very slow speeds, thus offering no benefits to the commuters and adding to the traffic congestion. The MMRDA stated that the monorail would connect many parts of the city which were not connected by suburban rail system or the proposed metro rail system. The agency also stated that the monorail would be an efficient feeder transit to the metro and suburban rail systems offering efficient, safe, air-conditioned, comfortable and affordable public transport to commuters.

Dadar railway station

Dadar is a railway station on the Western and Central Lines of the Mumbai Suburban Railway network and having terminals on both sides. The Western and Central Line terminals are connected by a walkway and foot over bridge. The station's location on two rail lines makes it a transit point for passengers.

Platforms 5 and 6 on the Western Line cater to outstation trains, local trains terminating at Dadar, and the 15-car local trains. On the Central Railway side, Dadar station caters to both Central Railway Suburban trains and outstation trains. There is a separate terminus for outstation trains which terminate at Dadar on the Central side called Dadar Terminus.

Ceasing long-distance trains

In October 2012, CR announced plans to cease long distance train services terminating at Dadar within 5–6 years. The load would be transferred to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT) by upgrading the number of platforms at LTT from five to 12. As of now, Dadar station receives more than 500,000 visitors daily.