The government plans to upgrade and revamp 19 stations across Mumbai. As per the government's plan, commercial and office space will now be located above and on unoccupied land adjacent to old railway stations located across the city.
For this project, nine stations on the Mumbai suburban network that are undergoing upgrades have been shortlisted. Mulund, Khar Road, Bhayander, and GTB Nagar are the four stations with available area for commercial exploitation on raised decks. In the meantime, there is undeveloped terrain surrounding Mankhurd, Bhandup, Dombivli, Kasara, and Nerul.
The Western Railway (WR)'s Khar Road station is one of them that is now at an advanced stage of construction and should be finished shortly. Commercial and office space will now be located above and on unoccupied land adjacent to old railway stations located across the city.
The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is in charge of carrying out the station renovation project. Most suburban stations in Mumbai are over 80 years old, extremely crowded, and have experienced a significant increase in commuter volume since their introduction into service. The designated suburban stations are being renovated as part of the station reconstruction project in order to handle more passengers and improve the general safety and station experience for passengers. As a result, there will be fewer fatalities and injuries at the current overloaded stations, according to an official.
According to the official, Knight Frank India Pvt Ltd conducted a feasibility study between August 2022 and October 2022 to evaluate the financial viability at nine of the 19 stations that were selected for renovation as part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).
Plan For Remaining 10 Stations:
On the WR, the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) plan to renovate and enhance 10 suburban railway stations has come to a near-complete halt. Railway officials met on November 21 to examine measures to speed up the work, which is being done at a cost of ₹231 crore, with only 4–10% of it finished.
In order to enhance station facilities, the Union Railway Ministry unveiled the ABSS plan in February 2023 for 1,275 stations nationwide. Through programs like "One Station, One Product", it aims to improve station access, waiting areas, restrooms, elevators and escalators, cleanliness, free Wi-Fi, and kiosks for locally produced goods. Additionally, it will incorporate multimodal connectivity, ecological and eco-friendly solutions, and suburban train stations with city infrastructure.
Marine Lines, Charni Road, Grant Road, Lower Parel, Prabhadevi, Malad, Jogeshwari Coaching Terminal, and Palghar stations in Mumbai have been selected for renovation. The railway expanded the list to include the stations at Kandivali and Dahisar in August.
A senior WR official claims that work is essentially at a standstill. All that is being done is planning and re-planning. The top managers voiced their concerns about the delays during the review meeting. Work needs to be accelerated, they said. Forty percent of the work is finished on the Mumbai Division outside the suburban corridor.
Charni Road stands out among Mumbai's ten stations. Before the most recent Ganesh Chaturthi festival, it received a makeover because of its close proximity to Girgaum Chowpatty, where idols are submerged. In addition to re-tiling a few areas, the entry/exit points have been extended, ticket booking cabins have been moved, and beautiful lamps have been erected on the foot over bridges. At the other non-stations listed under ABSS, however, not much has been done.
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