Mumbai: Ghatkopar station's much-awaited elevated deck commissioned

The elevated deck features a 6.10-metre-wide staircase providing direct access to the Metro station building

The new Metro entry-exit at the congested Ghatkopar station promised by mid-day to its readers was finally opened to the public on Friday.

"The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Limited (MRVC) has commissioned a newly constructed elevated deck along with a 12-metre-wide, approximately 65-metre-long south-end foot overbridge (FOB) at Ghatkopar railway station under the ongoing Station Improvement Project," an MRVC spokesperson said.

"The 55-metre-long elevated deck connects the existing Metro FOB with the new south-end FOB and serves as a vital passenger circulation corridor. The deck has a width varying from four metres at the Metro FOB connection to 7.5 metres where it joins the south-end FOB, ensuring efficient dispersal of commuters. It also features a 6.10-metre-wide staircase providing direct access to the Metro station building, enabling faster, safer and more convenient interchange between Metro and suburban rail services," he said.

"The 12.0-metre-wide south-end FOB complements the elevated deck by providing additional access to the railway platforms and substantially enhancing the station's overall passenger handling capacity," he said.

A view of the elevated deck and part of the new foot overbridge at the south end of Ghatkopar railway station on Friday. Pics/Rajendra B Aklekar

Significant milestone

According to the spokesperson, the commissioning of the elevated deck and FOB underscores MRVC's commitment to modernising Mumbai's suburban railway infrastructure. "These integrated passenger facilities will greatly improve station circulation, strengthen Metro-rail connectivity and provide much-needed relief from congestion. We remain committed to delivering safe, accessible and commuter-centric infrastructure with minimum disruption to train operations and passenger movement," he said.

State-of-the-art infra

Vilas S Wadekar, chairman and managing director, MRVC, said that the elevated deck and the FOB are being equipped with CCTV surveillance, a modern passenger announcement system and high-quality passenger information and directional signage. "The passenger circulation and wayfinding systems have been designed in accordance with the recommendations of IIT Roorkee," he stated.

Facilities for passengers

. Staircase connecting to platform 1
. Double-discharge landings serving platforms 2/3 and 4
. Newly commissioned elevated deck connecting the south-end Foot over bridge with the existing Metro FOB

mid-day impact

Railways began upgrading Ghatkopar station following a series of mid-day reports on how the overcrowding situation at the station had become a recipe for disaster as it also caters to Mumbai Metro Line 1. Mid-Day had highlighted the issue in a cover story in its August 30, 2019 edition ‘Next disaster arriving on platform no. 1', following which, the then-Mumbai North East MP Manoj Kotak raised the issue with the then-Railway Minister Piyush Goyal. The latter, at a public function on September 13, 2019, directed railway officials to come up with an elaborate plan and upgrade the station.

55 metres
Length of the elevated deck