Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal on Saturday said the Railways will beautify 10 railway stations in the city. He made the announcement at a function to inaugurate the restoration and beautification project for Byculla station.
Built in 1857, Byculla is the country’s oldest station and among the five stations on the city’s heritage list. Central Railway (CR) had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the NGO ‘I Love Mumbai’, headed by BJP leader Shaina NC, for its restoration.
“In July 2018, the MoU was signed and generally, heritage restoration work takes several years. But I have been told that we will be returning around the same time next year to see the station in its former glory,” Mr. Goyal said. The project is being financed by the Bajaj Group Charitable Trust as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. Conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah will carry out the restoration.
Mr. Goyal said the 10 stations will be beautified under various CSR initiatives. CR officials said these stations include Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Thane, Vasind, Dombivli, Nilaje, Kurla, Mumbra, Chunabhatti and Ambivli.
Mr. Goyal said the Railways will make details of all rail overbridges, foot overbridges and rail bridges in the country public. “There are over one lakh bridges across the country. We will put up a board with all the details of the bridge, such as the year it was built in, its last audit and the name of the officials concerned. All these details will be put up on the bridge and on the website,” Mr. Goyal said. The practice started in Mumbai and has been implemented on many bridges.