CIDCO-Railway Deadlock Over Navi Mumbai Stations Continues; Passenger Amenities Suffer, Revenue Fight Unsolved

Mumbai: The long-standing dispute between CIDCO and cover the maintenance and control of railway stations in Navi Mumbai remains unresolved, with Central Railway now insisting on complete transfer of station premises and revenue rights before taking over maintenance responsibilities. The continued deadlock has raised concerns over poor passenger amenities and delayed infrastructure upgrades across several Harbour and Trans-Harbour line stations.

Meeting held at CSMT, no final agreement reached

The issue was discussed during a special meeting held on Friday at the Central Railway headquarters at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, chaired by MP Naresh Mhaske. Senior officials from Central Railway and CIDCO participated in discussions regarding transfer of stations, maintenance responsibilities and commercial rights. While Mhaske claimed the handover process could be completed within six months, railway officials clarified that no final agreement has yet been reached between the two organisations.

Several stations in Navi Mumbai have been facing complaints regarding poor upkeep, inadequate passenger amenities and delayed repair works. CIDCO currently earns nearly Rs 5 crore every month through an additional surcharge levied on Harbour and Trans-Harbour railway tickets. Stations including Vashi, Sanpada, Nerul, Seawoods, CBD Belapur and Panvel were developed by CIDCO between 1992 and 1996, while stations on the Trans-Harbour line such as Airoli, Rabale and Ghansoli were commissioned in 2004.

Railway wants commercial spaces and rental income too

Railway authorities stated that they are prepared to take over station management only if commercially used spaces, rental income and adjoining properties are also handed over. CIDCO had developed large commercial complexes around stations such as Vashi, CBD Belapur and Seawoods-Darave, which later emerged as major business hubs in Navi Mumbai.

Under an agreement signed in 1998, CIDCO was assigned responsibility for maintenance of stations, railway offices and food court areas in exchange for advertising rights and revenue recovery provisions. During Friday’s meeting, participants stressed the need for a single authority to manage stations, especially with increasing commuter pressure expected due to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport and other infrastructure projects. Demands were also raised for station modernisation, reopening of closed ticket counters and speedy completion of subway and foot overbridge works in Rabale, Digha and Airoli areas.

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