A new, user-friendly Churchgate station…..Shashank Rao
Makeover includes glass facade, rain protection up to end of platform, false ceiling on concourse
Makeover includes glass facade, rain protection up to end of platform, false ceiling on concourse
Churchgate, one of the city’s oldest railway stations, is set for a facelift, both functional and aesthetic.
With a budget of Rs 4 crore, the Western Railway (WR) plans to refurbish the station, which sees more than 30 lakh commuters pass through its gates every day.
“We are planning a new corporate look and feel for the station and its building, both of which have remained unchanged for a long while,” said WR divisional railway manager, G Pillai.
According to the plan, WR is planning reflective tinted glass to cover the station building from all sides, false ceilings with illumination for the main concourse, platforms four and one to be levelled, and new roofs that will be extended all the way out to the end of the station.
“We plan to place blowers on the ceiling of the concourse, but the problem is the open space around, as well as the vertical distance between floor and ceiling, which is too high. The roofs are being extended since passengers have complained that standing at the end of the platform becomes a problem during the monsoon,” said a senior WR official on condition of anonymity.
Part of the revamp has already begun — the existing ceiling is being covered with the new false ceiling, the walls at the entrance have been covered in blue and white laminate,
and platform four has been dug up to support the roof extension.
Among the few improvements the station has seen in a long time are the old indicators, which were replaced with new LED variants.
The GO Mumbai Card system is another key new commuter facility installed at the station.