Mumbai Central gets lit by sun pipes

Mumbai: When you’re passing through Mumbai Central railway station next, keep an eye out for the bright circular spots on the station building’s ceiling illuminating much of the complex. These are sun pipes, 18 of which have installed by the Western Railway (WR) in their effort to provide lighting without energy consumption.

The sun pipes have polycarbonate domes on the roof that collect ambient sunlight and concentrate it through a series of reflecting surfaces, before projecting it on the desired areas.

Lighting corners

The tubes have been adjusted so as to to provide illumination in areas that are not well-lit, for around 12 hours a day. Officials said the domes have been designed such that the level of illumination will not be affected by the position of the sun. The WR has spent ₹4.46 lakhs on the project, with each tube costing ₹21,000. The system has a life of over 20 years, and officials said it will result in considerable savings.

Ravinder Bhakar, Chief Public Relations Officer, WR, said, “Work is currently on to install a similar system at the Mahalaxmi workshop. We have planned to extend such lighting arrangements to workshops, sheds and other stations. We will be monitoring the impact of this system during the monsoon and collecting feedback. Based on this, we will decide the future course of action on this.”