Exclusive | Mumbai: Metro and Central Railway join hands for seven-step rush-hour relief at Ghatkopar station

Overcrowded foot overbridge in Ghatkopar last month. Pic/By Special Arrangement

What can be done at jam-packed Ghatkopar station? New parallel elevated decks, instant disruption alerts, holding spaces, and redirecting commuter flow are among the key outcomes of a crucial intervention meeting held between the Metro Blue Line 1 and Central Railway teams last week.

Railway Board Chairman Satish Kumar, during his visit to Ghatkopar station, told mid-day that work was "progressing expeditiously" and that one of three planned concourses was already complete, with the other two underway. He added that night shifts were the only viable option due to operational constraints.

Morning chaos on Metro Blue Line 1. File Pic/Omkar Shetty

Beyond new infrastructure, the Central Railway and Mumbai Metro Blue Line 1 have agreed on a seven-point action plan to ease crowding on the central foot overbridge (FOB) during peak hours.

The problem

Between 8.30 am and 10.30 am, the central FOB at Ghatkopar becomes dangerously overcrowded, especially when Metro services are disrupted for more than 10 minutes. In the past, measures such as demolishing staff rooms near Metro entry points, relocating shops, shifting and adding automated fare collection (AFC) gates, creating extra security checkpoints, resizing customer care offices, and installing display boards and announcements on the FOB have been implemented.

The fixes

The newly agreed steps include:

Immediate alerts from Metro to CR during service disruptions, with efforts to hold commuters inside Metro premises.

Encouraging passengers to use all staircases to platforms instead of bunching at escalators, and exploring mezzanine-floor holding areas.

Directing passengers to the CSMT-end FOB, with staff deployed by railways to guide them. During peak hours, discouraging Metro exit passengers from using the central FOB.

Fast-tracking construction of an elevated deck connecting the Kalyan-end FOB to the Metro station (work in the east is complete; the west side is next).

Exploring a new skywalk linking Ghatkopar Railway Station with the Versova-end of the Metro.

Considering a deck above the road level next to the railway's new deck near the Metro station, in coordination with BMC and MMRDA.

Phase II upgrade status

>> Under Phase II of the Station Improvement Project (Phase I is complete), works include:
>> Two new 12-metre-wide FOBs at the north and south ends.
>> One elevated deck with service buildings.
>> Four more lifts and 12 more escalators.
>> Facade upgrades, giant fans, advanced passenger indicators, and hi-tech CCTV surveillance.
>> About 30 per cent of physical work is complete, with full completion targeted for December 2026.

Commuter voices

Ramakant Shah, commuter
"The congestion during disruptions becomes unmanageable, with railway ticket vending machines adding to the central bridge crowd. The Metro spillover must be addressed urgently."

Ujwal Jadhav, commuter
"They should have finished the west-side deck first instead of the east. That would have helped commuters much more."