The Railways is talking to the ministries of road transport/ highways and shipping to draw an integrated transportation solution for the city of Mumbai, according to the Union Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu.

Inaugurating the DC-AC conversion from 1500 volt direct current to 25000 volt alternating current on the Mumbai CST- Thane stretch of the Central Railway’s main line on Tuesday, Prabhu said the plan was to ensure seamless ticketing across all available modes of transport in the city.

The conversion will save Central Railway ₹114 crore every year besides resulting in increase in number of suburban and outstation train services. He said that the MUTP-3 (Mumbai Urban Transport Project-3) would be implemented soon.

A white paper on the transportation issues related to Mumbai would soon be put up for receiving suggestions from the travelling public. “Being an island city, Mumbai’s problems are unique,” Prabhu said.

He suggested the idea of staggered office timings in the city of Mumbai to avoid over-crowding of local trains during peak hours adding that demand side solutions were also necessary for solving Mumbai’s transportation problems. (About 75 lakh commuters use Mumbai’s local trains daily).

PPP model for stations Safety clearances for air-conditioned local trains are likely to come in by October this year, Prabhu said.

Indian Railways has also signed memorandum of understanding with 20 states, for developing railway infrastructure. “The priority will be decided by the state government/local body,” Prabhu said.

He also recommended the idea of developing railway station premises using the public-private partnership model.

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