Poor signage at Mumbai's Bandra station causes commuter hassle

The foot overbridge entrance on Platforms 4 and 5 at Bandra railway station, where no notice was displayed informing passengers about the closure of the eastern exit. Pics/Sarthak Mehta

Passengers at Bandra railway station have complained of poor signage around a foot overbridge (FOB) whose eastern exit remains intermittently closed due to post-demolition work near Garib Nagar, forcing many commuters to climb the stairs only to discover at the top that they must turn back and take a longer route.

Commuters heading to Bandra Terminus, told mid-day that a few strategically placed notices at the base of the bridge could have spared them unnecessary climbing, delays and frustration, especially in the heat.

Passengers accessing the second FOB from Platforms 6 and 7 didn't know of the eastern exit closure until reaching the top

Railway security personnel stationed near the closed exit have borne the brunt of passengers' anger.

"What can we do? Passengers don't complain at the right avenue," said a security official.

"Closing of this exit due to the demolition work was announced only for five days initially. Later, their work extended. How tough was it for the officials to erect a few notices at appropriate spots?" A vendor operating on the platform said.

mid-day spot check

The blocked eastern exit of the second foot-over bridge at Bandra railway station, where debris-clearing work is being carried out following the Garib Nagar demolition drive

Location
>> Bandra suburban railway station

Day
>> Friday

Issue
>> Passengers are climbing the second FOB unaware that its eastern exit is closed, only to find a notice near the top directing them to use another bridge.

What mid-day found

Passengers accessing the second FOB from Platforms 6 and 7 were not informed about the eastern exit closure until reaching the top of the bridge

>> No closure notices at FOB entry points on Platforms 2 to 7
>> Notice present only at the Platform 1 entrance to the bridge
>> No advance warning before commuters begin climbing stairs
>> No visible guidance for passengers carrying luggage or accompanying elderly relatives

What changed?

No closure notice was visible at the FOB entrance on Platforms 6 and 7 during mid-day's spot check at Bandra railway station

May 19-23
>> Garib Nagar demolition drive underway
>> Eastern exit of the central FOB is completely closed
>> Frequent railway announcements informed passengers

After May 23
>> Demolition drive ended
>> Debris-clearing work continued
>> Bridge opened and closed intermittently depending on the work schedule
>> Commuters say closure information became unclear

mid-day's spot check found no notice boards at the FOB entrance on Platforms 2 and 3 informing passengers that the eastern exit remained closed during work hours. Pics/Sarthak Mehta

Understanding the station layout

Churchgate-side FOB
>> Open for passengers heading towards BKC

Central FOB
>> Eastern exit intermittently closed due to work

Borivli-side FOB
>> Open for passengers heading towards Bandra Terminus

Official speak

"Passenger inconvenience is regretted. The bridge is closed for passenger safety only between 10 am and 6 pm, during which post-demolition works like debris clearing are carried out; it remains open otherwise. Further, passengers should find the bridge opened at all times by tomorrow evening, as our debris clearing work is near completion."
Western Railway spokesperson

Passenger voices

Daaitwa Ahuja, occasional passenger, Powai resident
"I didn't see any kind of board while coming up, which said the exit here is closed, that's why I climbed up like we usually do. I would request the responsible authorities to install clear visible boards with multiple languages at the appropriate spots, like the start of the stairs, so that people can avoid this inconvenience."

Anmol Pandey, tourist
"I am travelling with my family, and we have our train from Bandra Terminus. There was no notice on the platform informing about the closed exit here. Now that we have climbed the stairs with our trolley bags, we got to know that it's closed. I am running late now. I will have to again get down this bridge, climb another one."

Rakesh Kumar, Goregaon resident, 70
"I have climbed these stairs, now they are telling me I have to get down, reach another bridge, and climb those stairs again. They have not put any notice boards appropriately. They should have put these at the stair entrances so that passengers could have changed their path accordingly. So much inconvenience for the passengers."

Md Salim, Behram Nagar resident
"They should have announced its closure with proper extended dates. The public would have faced less inconvenience that way."