In order to increase its revenue the Indian Railways, which posted a deficit of R32,067 crore in the 2015-16 financial year, has decided to tap into its biggest asset: property.

While increasing rail fare remains a challenge, the Railways has decided to make commercial use of land available to it. It plans to build commercial complexes at railway stations across the country, including Mumbai, and re-design its stations with modern amenities that will attract developers and business houses looking for office/retail space. This would be along the lines of the structure at Vashi station, constructed as a collaboration between Railways and CIDCO, in a revenue sharing model.