17 December,2025 08:28 AM IST | Mumbai | Hemal Ashar
Commuters at Grant Road station hold up letters asking for escalators. PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
A number of residents have addressed communication to the stationmaster of Grant Road railway station to install escalators on the eastern and western sides of the vital hub, on the Western Railway network. An excerpt from a recent letter from the flurry of communication is from the MCR Boyss Foundation. The letter highlighted some benefits of installing escalators at the station. These, the letter stated, are for "improved accessibility for physically handicapped individuals, reduced fatigue, enhanced safety, and convenience for people".
The Shree Balgopal Ganeshotsav Mandal's letter to the stationmaster on December 8 stated that "installing escalators will enhance the overall travelling experience". The New Chikhalwadi Welfare Association letter dated December 9, encapsulates the same sentiment, while a letter from the East & West Villa CHS (proposed) dated December 9 stated that with escalators, people using the station, especially those with health problems, "will have less physical strain and lower risks of slips, falls and other accidents". Yet another letter from the Talmakiwadi Co-operative Housing Society dated December 12, reinforced the escalators for ease message. All these organisations are from the area or around the vicinity and work in different ways to highlight problems and collectively seek solutions and answers.
Kishor M Basrur from Grant Road said he has to trudge up a challenging flight of stairs for his daily commute to his Churchgate workplace. "It is very difficult when one is not feeling 100 per cent well. When I return to Mumbai from my occasional visit to my native place in Dharwad near Belgaum, I alight at Dadar. Then, I take a local (train) to Churchgate and return to Grant Road just so I do not have to climb stairs with luggage," he explained.
Bhupendra Pawar from the area said, "The steps are slick, especially during the monsoon, so one has to be very careful. The height is also substantial. One is stressed at work, and then, there is the additional stress of negotiating the stairs." Pawar said that he visited Badlapur some time ago and was surprised that even Badlapur had escalators, while there were none in the VIP area of Malabar Hill constituency, where Grant Road station is.
Nikhil Ghadi from the area said, "The absence of escalators means I have to always re-think, especially if I have to take my elderly mother to the suburbs. I hope these letters make some difference."
Home is where the heart is, but for Grant Road resident Nikhil Parab - a heart patient who has a stent - the station is a difficult space. "It is painstaking because we do not have ease with escalators, but otherwise, the station is lovely. We do have enough space for this facility. The stairs are so high, like climbing the second or third floors, and one needs to take a break in between."
Sarvesh Sangle asked, "When so many stations have escalators, why has Grant Road been left out?" Abhishek Ugale, a local, highlighted the precarious situation for senior citizens and the physically challenged, as he said, "I walk behind an aged person on the stairs as a safeguard if they trip or slip so that I may prevent a serious injury."
Western Railway Public Relations Officer, Vineet Abhishek, said, "Three escalators are planned at Grant Road station. Two lifts are also being planned. Soon, work will be sanctioned, and the tendering process will be done."
