Mumbai's CSMT station to get back 1930s look under redevelopment plan

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus

A 1930 benchmark for the world heritage site of Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and a railopolis hub at Thakurli Terminus for Kalyan - this is how the railway station redevelopment plans for Mumbai intend to be taken ahead.

Making these announcements on Wednesday, the managing director and chief executive officer of Indian Railway Station Redevelopment Corporation (ISRDC), Sanjeev Kumar, said there was a plan to remodel Mumbai CSMT to its 1930s look and a new terminus hub has been planned on railway land near Kalyan, which will be called "railopolis", on the lines of metropolis, which one could live, play, work and ride.

CSMT after remodelling

"Yes, the remodelling work of Mumbai CSMT station will be taken up on public private participation and the approvals are expected this week. The challenge here was to retain the heritage while redeveloping the station. The project was first taken up by the railways in 2008, but had been frozen. We have now reworked on it and come up with a workable plan for the station," Kumar said.

"This is the only station in the country that is in UNESCO site. Restoring the heritage, all the development that has taken place after 1930 will be taken down. The observations made by earlier consultants in 2009, which had been presented before the heritage committee, have also been taken into account in the new plans. We have shown them how the station will be redeveloped so that the beauty of the station is enhanced," Kumar added.Aerial photograph of Mumbai CSMT station building and complex taken by Englishman A. R. Haseler in the 1930s.

Speaking about Thakurli, he said the plan was to redevelop the station into a major hub. Sources said that IRSDC has planned an elevated deck for passengers, an approach road to improve road connectivity and development of 128.48 acre of land, including the station area. The total area that the railways will develop includes 16.03 acre of land adjacent to Ulhas river.

IRSDC has proposed road connectivity to the 45-metre wide ring road being constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) around the station, which will make it more accessible for residents in the east as well as the west. ISRDC officials said the stations will be developed with the help of local authorities so that the plan syncs well with the city and local amenities.

Why 1930s?

The consultants for Mumbai CSMT - AREP (Amenagement, Recherche, Pole d'Echanges) or simply Management, Research & Interchange, a multidisciplinary consultancy owned by SNCF, the French National Railways - stated that the idea was to create a multi-modal hub for suburban passengers in the heritage station and releasing it from long-distance trains and managing the people flow outside the original Steven's building.

The inspiration was an aerial photograph of the grand Mumbai CSMT station building and complex taken by an Englishman A. R. Haseler in the 1930s.

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