Mumbai: Nine railways stations will get swanky upgrade, check if YOUR station is on the list

Work at Khar is in the final stages and is expected to be completed soon. Pics/Nimesh Dave

Old railway stations across the city will now have commercial and office space above them and on vacant land lying next to them. Nine of the 18 stations that are being upgraded on the Mumbai rail network have been shortlisted for this project. The four stations having spare space for commercial exploitation on elevated decks are Mulund, Khar Road, Bhayander and GTB Nagar. Meanwhile, Mankhurd, Bhandup, Dombivli, Kasara and Neral have vacant land around them. Of these stations, work at Khar Road on Western Railway is at an advanced stage of construction and is expected to be completed soon.

The elevated deck at Khar Road station will be used for commercial purposes

The station redevelopment project is being implemented by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC). "Most of the stations on the Mumbai suburban section are more than 80 years old, are highly congested and commuter volumes have increased manifold since commissioning. Through the station redevelopment project, the identified suburban stations are being upgraded for increased passenger handling capacity and to enhance the overall passenger safety levels and experience at stations. This will result in decongestion of existing overcrowded stations and a reduction in the number of fatalities and injuries," an official said.

According to the official, a feasibility study was carried out by Knight Frank India Pvt Ltd, from August 2022 to October 2022, to assess the financial viability at the nine identified stations out of the 18 stations set for improvement under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP).

"Khar Road and Bhayandar of Western Railway were found feasible for retail/food and beverage outlets with a payback period of 5 and 7 years, respectively. The potential of the other Category II stations is not that lucrative and the payback period is about 17-19 years. The feasibility report by Knight Frank was shared with both, Central and Western Railway, and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) on March 24 and work began on the project," he explained.

Space at each station

Stations with elevated deck

Station Space available
Mulund 597 sq m
Khar Road 329 sq m
Bhayandar 1,044 sq m
GTB Nagar 593 sq m

Stations with vacant land
Mankhurd 1,315 sq m
Bhandup 966 sq m
Dombivli 1,046 sq m
Kasara 1,488 sq m
Neral 1,503 sq m