A GLASSHOUSE FOR CHURCHGATE …..Roana Maria Costa
Stations Exterior Being Redone With Chic,Eco-Friendly UV-Proof Panelling.New Look To Be Ready By Month-End
Stations Exterior Being Redone With Chic,Eco-Friendly UV-Proof Panelling.New Look To Be Ready By Month-End
Mumbai: Churchgate has always been CSTs plain cousin.But it is undergoing a makeover,which will show it in sparkling new light.By the end of this month,the station buildings facade and sides will be completely covered in glass,on which will be depicted the complex crisscrossing of tracks near junctions (see artists impression in cut-out,below left).
Western Railway officials said Churchgate will be the only station in the country to sport a glass exterior,elevating it to the league of select stations in Japan,Australia,Germany and England (pictured left).The track pattern on the glass is meant to reflect the dynamism of the railways, said Sharat Chandrayan,chief PRO,WR.
About 50% of the glass work is over.The covering will filter out 13% of light in the visible spectrum and 90% of ultraviolet (UV) rays.The glass panels will be placed 1.8 metres from the building walls to allow ventilation.A WR official said the UV protection will reduce heat inside the building,bringing down the need for fans and air conditioners.So,you see,the panelling is an eco-friendly move.
The glasswhich is shatterproof to guard against mobswill cover a surface area of 16,145 sq ft,providing a kaleidoscopic refraction of the WR headquarters across the road.The building,in the process of being listed as a UNESCO heritage site,is in the Indo-Saracenic Revival style (also the style of the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower,the Gateway,the BMC building and the GPO).
The glass work started in December.Of course,preliminary work,like setting up frames,and temporary support and protective structures so that commuters were not inconvenienced during the revamp process,started much before, aWR official said.
The glass work,costing Rs 1.99 crore,is part of the Rs 20-crore Churchgate beautification project,which will be wrapped up in a few days.The project highlights are: putting up silver and blue aluminium composite panels in the interior and on the exterior of the building (white and blue comprise WRs colour code for naming stations); extending platforms three and four to accommodate 15-car local trains;extending the roof to accommodate 12-car trains,the first such extension in 60 years;and revamping toilets,booking offices and the water cooler area.
TRAIN TO MAKEOVERVILLE
* Three sides of the Churchgate station building is being covered with 16,145 sq ft of glass The work will be ready by the end of February,making Churchgate the only railway station in India with a glass faade The layout of tracks near junctions will be shown on the covering The glass will offer 90% protection from UV rays,reducing heat and the need for fans and ACs The covering will not affect ventilation,which will be facilitated by blowers
* To guard against mobs,the glass has been made shatterproof
* The cost of the panelling is 1.99 crore,the total cost of the Churchgate beautification project being 20 crore
* The project includes extending platforms 3 and 4 to accommodate 15-car local trains,extending the roof to accommodate 12-car ones,and revamping toilets,booking offices and the water cooler area
* Pictures on railway heritage will be put up,as will be panels with inspirational verse
– Berlin Hauptbahnhof,Germany
– La Gare de Strasbourg,France
– Southern Cross,Australia
– North Park Way Cable,Austria
– Kanazawa Station,Japan
– St Pancras,England