Mid-Day Impact | Mumbai: Ghatkopar station’s new Metro entry-exit, elevated deck to open by month-end

The under-construction elevated deck at Ghatkopar station, which expected to significantly decongest the existing central foot overbridge. Pic/Rajendra B Aklekar

The new Metro entry-exit and much-awaited, wide elevated deck at the Mumbai Metro end of the congested Ghatkopar railway station will be opened by the end of the month. This comes after nearly seven years of sustained follow-ups by this newspaper.

There was no direct alternative from the railway area to the jam-packed main entry from the footbridge at Ghatkopar. The new entry will be a huge help for commuters.

The Railways has been upgrading Ghatkopar station since mid-day published reports on how the station had become a recipe for disaster as it also caters to Mumbai Metro Line 1, starting with a front-page report in its August 30, 2019 edition headlined ‘Next disaster arriving on platform no. 1'.

The elevated deck at Ghatkopar station, which expected to significantly decongest the existing central foot overbridge. Pic/Rajendra B Aklekar

Following this, former local Member of Parliament from Mumbai North East, Manoj Kotak, had followed up the issue with the then Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. Goyal at a public function on September 13, 2019, had directed railway officials to come up with an elaborate plan and upgrade the station.

‘A major milestone'

Sunil G Udasi, chief manager (corporate coordination), MRVC, said, "The new south-end foot overbridge at Ghatkopar is a major milestone in the ongoing transformation of the station under the Station Improvement Project. Once commissioned, it will provide passengers with seamless connectivity to the Metro station through direct access as well as via the newly constructed elevated deck connected to the existing Metro FOB, significantly improving passenger circulation and reducing congestion. The FOB is being commissioned in a phased manner, considering the prevailing site constraints, while ensuring uninterrupted passenger movement and safety. On completion, it will offer state-of-the-art passenger amenities, including six escalators, four lifts, CCTV surveillance, a modern passenger announcement system and high-quality wayfinding signage, all designed in accordance with IIT Roorkee recommendations for world-class station infrastructure."

FOB bottleneck

Until now, commuters arriving from the railway station had no direct alternative and were forced to use the heavily crowded main Metro entrance connected to the existing 12-metre foot overbridge. The bottleneck often resulted in long queues and slow movement during peak hours. The new bridge is being built by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation and will be handed over to Central Railway for public use by July-end.

Main features

>> After completion, this foot overbridge will have main stairs on platforms 2/3, and 4 and on the east exit side.
>> This will be in addition to the present main stairs on platform 1.
>> There will be double-discharge landings on platforms 2, 3, and 4
>> There will be six escalators and four lifts (one each on platforms 1, 2/3, 4, and the east side).

Six
No escalators planned for Ghatkopar station