CSMT inspection: PAC seeks wider north-side entry for evening rush

At CSMT’s northern end, a wider entry and exit linked to the road outside could help ease the evening rush, Public Accounts Committee member Anurag Thakur said after the panel’s Tuesday inspection.

The committee, led by K C Venugopal, reached the station at about 5 pm and spent nearly 30 minutes inspecting the concourse serving the Harbour and Main lines, as commuters gathered for suburban services. Members checked water vending machines, drinking-water taps, toilets and fans, and visited the long-distance terminus. The station’s water facility has a capacity of 750 litres an hour.

The visit examined concerns raised in a Comptroller and Auditor General review of passenger facilities and drinking-water quality. Central Railway said samples taken after the 2023-24 observations at CSMT, Bhiwandi Road, Kalyan and Lonavala were satisfactory, with no E. coli or bacteriological contamination detected. It has supplied testing kits to concerned offices and plans monitoring arrangements at around 20,000 points, alongside phased replacement of old storage tanks.

The committee is also considering longer platforms and additional lines. It is scheduled to meet Railway Ministry, Central Railway and Western Railway officials on Wednesday.