Central Railways plans to spend Rs 25 crore on restoring CSMT

All the timber beams and rafters and damaged Burma teak doors will be replaced

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) is all set for a complete makeover. A fresh set of tenders worth Rs 25 crore, to be opened in April 2018, have been floated to bring the building back in shape. As the comprehensive conservation of the Mumbai CSMT building gathers steam, the Central Railway has now called for a complete restoration of the stained glass in the building and replace all timber beams and rafters and the damaged Burma teak doors.

This is in addition to the clean-up of the vertical stone of the building, including the central dome and the iconic Star Chamber.

"This is one of the most comprehensive restoration processes of the building and the makeover will return the building back to its original glory. The process has already begun to remove false partitions and cabins so that the pioneering architect FW Stevens's original layout of 1878 can be brought back to reality," said an official.

The original stained glass of the building, included logos of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway Company, with images of animals, trains and locomotives, will be restored. Railway officials said that they would get in experts to match the original stained glass.

"The doors, beams and rafters are made of teak and timber and during this restoration process, we shall be placing orders for large amounts of it to replace the damaged ones so that the building becomes structurally strong. The work majorly involves replacement of rotten and distressed Burma teak wood beams/rafters and restoration of the heritage flooring of the front and rear side verandah of the first floor," the official said.

The main part of the restoration, however, will be the refurbishment of the central dome which is the main attraction of the building. It will require careful attention and deft precision while restoring it. The iconic Star Chamber will also get the much-needed facelift.

Other elements of the restoration include cleaning of the vertical stone façade of the building that involves cleaning the stone masonry surface using high pressure water jets to remove algae growth, cracks of weathered stone and removal of vegetation with protection of window panes.

Also read: Mumbai: CST heritage tiles, buried for 50 years, unearthed intact

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