Mid-Day Impact: After seven years, elevated deck at Mumbai's Ghatkopar Metro end finally takes shape

After nearly seven years of sustained followups by midday the muchawaited wide elevated deck on the Mumbai Metroend of Ghatkopar railway station is finally taking physical shape mdash a longoverdue intervention at one of the cityrsquos fiercely crowded transport interchangesGhatkopar railway station where mega crowds from the Mumbai Metro Line 1 Blue Line converge with Central Railway suburban passengers has for years seen infrastructure lagging dangerously behind The new deck promises a dramatic improvement in circulation space pedestrian dispersal and safety at the Metroend mdash the most congested choke point at the stationPlacing of girders across the tracks had been completed at the CSMTend PicsRajendra B AklekarOn a visit to the station on Wednesday team midday found that the work of placing all girders across the tracks had been long completed and the flooring work of the new wide bridge was underway at the CSMTend The new bridge is adjacent to the BMC skywalk abutting the Metro stationAt the Kalyanend near Jhunjhunwala College the girders have been placed outside The gang hut has been demolished and piling work has begun for the foundations08No of foundations completed out of 152019Year midday took up the issue1800sq mApproximate area of elevated deck Phase 1 and Phase 2 combinedVoicesChaitanya Raut student Jhunjuhnwala CollegelsquoGhatkopar is not just crowded itrsquos chaotic during peak hours You barely get space to stop and check directions With the deck at least people can spread out instead of colliding headonrsquoMonalkumar Upahdyaya officergoerlsquoThis should have been built before the Metro opened But at least now something real is finally happening The ongoing work is creating problems on the platforms with barricades but thankfully they are moving the barricades to limit restrictionsrsquoRishi Talreja software executive at Saki NakalsquoGhatkopar always felt like a station operating at double its designed capacity Metro crowds would spill straight into railway passengers with no buffer in placersquoFlooring work on the new wide bridge is underwayWhy deck mattersGhatkopar is not just another suburban station It is a highintensity interchange where Metro passengers arrive as a huge mass unlike the more evenly spread suburban flows Without adequate horizontal circulation space every train arrival on both systems turns into a dangerous crowd buildupScope of workElevated Deck Platform No 1 side Eight out of 15 foundations completed Four columns five girders launched12metreside south foot overbridge Main foundation completed Main girders over the three spans launched12metrewide north foot overbridge Two out of four foundations completed Work on remaining foundations underwaymidday followups action initiatedTimeline of reportingAugust 30 2019Disaster in WaitingThe stationrsquos upgrade was spurred by a 2019 midday frontpage report prompting action from former MP Manoj Kotak and thenrailway minister Piyush Goyal The first story that started it allJune 23 2022Work Begins but safety concerns raised MRVC launched a sevenpoint upgrade plan with new FOBs an elevated deck and a skywalk but barricades narrowed platforms triggering safety concerns during peak hoursAugust 11 2022Platform space reclaimedBarricades were later pushed back freeing platform space and easing risks flagged by midday MRVC said work amid heavy footfall remains challenging with completion expected by 2025Dec 15 2022Crowd surge due to Metro disruptionA Metro service cancellation caused a stampedelike situation on the railway FOB emphasising the need to fasttrack the upgrade Commuters called for better Metrorailway integration and more Metro coaches to manage crowdsDec 20 2022Construction expeditedAfter crowding concerns MRVC fasttracked a 75metrelong 12metrewide FOB and a 45metre east deck aiming to ease congestion by Dec 2023 The project aimed to mitigate crowding with interconnected bridges and decksMarch 10 2023Breathing space gainedA redundant staircase on Platform No 1 was demolished creating more space after middayrsquos 2019 report The upgrade was progressing to address the high passenger density exacerbated by Metro connectivityApril 21 2023Funding secured work progressesMUTP3A funding enabled fullscale work with Phase 1 on the east side targeted for completion by late 2023 and further phases already fundedDec 29 2023Phase 1 completedPhase 1 was completed with a 12metrewide 75metrelong FOB and a 15metrewide 47metrelong east deck opened to the public However commuters noted the lack of direct Metro connectivity a priority for Phase 2July 3 2024Metrorelated crowding issuesMetro network delay caused a crowd surge on railway FOB with railway officials blaming Metrorsquos management Phase 2 work near the Metro station was set to resume postmonsoon with calls for Metro to increase coach numbersJuly 5 2024Escalators openedTwo of six planned escalators in the east circulating area were inaugurated providing access to new FOB The full upgrade including multiple bridges and decks was expected to be completed by December 2026July 12 2024Slow progress questionedMRVC plans two phases with new FOBs and decks noting that a fiveminute Metro delay can add nearly 2000 commuters Completion is targeted for 2027February 14 2025Debris and barricades cause risksPhase 2 work left debris and barricades on Platform 1 raising safety concerns MRVC said it is speeding up foundation work and debris clearance with completion still targeted for 2027