Mumbai: IRSDC plan to improve access to Bandra Terminus

The connectivity plan talks about constructing two additional suburban platforms closer to the terminus along SV Road in Bandra (West). (Representational Image)

After complaints from passengers of poor accessibility to Bandra Terminus, the Indian Railway Stations Development Corporation (IRSDC) has come up with an ambitious connectivity plan, which envisages building two additional suburban platforms and an elevated road, which will help improve connectivity to the terminus.

Bandra Terminus falls under A1 category station, catering to 63 originating and 65 terminating long-distance trains. Passengers, however, can access the terminus only through the congested pipeline road, passing through encroachment on the east side. There is no direct connectivity from the west side of the station to its east. A passenger has to either deboard at Bandra railway station or at Khar and walk back to the terminus. This, according to officials, has led to the terminus not being utilised to its full potential with many premium trains being made to run through Mumbai Central.

The connectivity plan talks about constructing two additional suburban platforms closer to the terminus along SV Road in Bandra (West). The state government has also proposed a Metro station on the same side, which will be integrated with a suburban platform to its south and a harbour platform to its north.

“If we are able to accommodate the platform, people taking the western line can get down onto the local platform on the south side of the Metro station and those taking the harbour line from CSMT can get down onto the harbour platform proposed on the north side,” said an IRSDC official.

The plan also proposes an 18-metre-wide elevated road to run above the existing lines in the east for improved road access to the terminus. The elevated road will connect to the existing ramp on the east to have an extended arm, terminating at an elevated concourse over these platforms. The elevated road will be extended further towards Khar and form a circular loop for autorickshaws, taxis and buses to return after dropping passengers off.

“The road will be at an elevation over the tracks and have a pick up and drop point for passengers. The pick up and drop point will be in the middle of the terminus at an elevation making all the platforms equidistant from there and improving further accessibility,” added an official. The elevated road will also be connected to a concourse, which will have waiting halls, and retails stores, restaurants and other outlets.

The redevelopment work is expected to cost Rs 1,000 crore, which will be raised through land monetisation of two railway plots on a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The plan has proposed to relocate the railway colonies to open up the plot that can be given up for commercial exploitation to fund redevelopment of station and provide direct access to the terminus. Another 7.35 acre land next to the terminus which has railway offices and some yard facility is being proposed to be relocated for developing three other towers on public private partnership.

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