A new foot-over-bridge (FOB) was opened by Railway authorities at the Kopar railway station on Saturday, making it accessible to the commuters right away. The FoB with an elevated ticket booking office was built by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) at a cost of Rs 7 crore. In the near future, commuters will be able to buy tickets on the elevated deck that connects with the FoB.
According to MRVC officials, the new bridge is 62.5 metres long and 6 metres wide. It has three staircases for access and will also provide connectivity between the east and west sides of the station. “This FoB is located at the Diva end of Koper station and covers all six tracks to provide east-west connectivity,” an MRVC official said, adding that earlier, people had to walk a distance of around 150 metres to cross over.
“Many FoBs are being constructed by MRVC for Central and Western Railways to control trespassing in the midsection and at stations for better crowd management. The FoB at Kopar is one more addition to passenger convenience and comfort,” said MRVC spokesperson Sunil Udasi said.
According to Diva (east) resident Ramesh Shinde, 34, the new FoB will provide direct connectivity to the platforms and to the west side, and also prove to be an important step toward curbing incidents of trespassing.
“In the absence of this FoB, many people who didn't want to walk around 150 metres to the nearest crossing jumped onto the tracks to get across,” Savita Chavan, 45, another resident of Kopar (east) told FPJ on Sunday.
Koper is developing into an important station along the Central Railway suburban section. The station also provides connectivity to Navi Mumbai and Vasai-bound trains.
