These 5 Mumbai railway stations are set to get a facelift

Five stations in the city are set to undergo major transformation. Railway authorities have said Kurla Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT), Thane, Borivli, Bandra Terminus and Mumbai Central station will be redeveloped and soon tenders will be invited for the same.

According to railway sources, in total 1,11,805 sq mt of land is likely to be developed near the stations, at a cost of Rs 100-150 crore each.

Incidentally, on February 8, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu had announced that 23 stations across India would be modernised, at an overall cost of Rs 9,000 crore. A railway official said, "These five stations be given a facelift.

Renovation and redevelopment of station buildings, platform surfaces and the surrounding area are part of the plan. Also, efforts will be made to utilise free land spaces around these station premises for commercial purposes."

Railway officials claim the idea behind the project is to make stations look like Grand Central station in New York or Metro stations in Dubai. The official said, "Stations abroad have shopping complexes and malls dotting them, which are mostly connected by skywalks and walkalators. Andheri station is the closest benchmark to these plans in the city."

The Andheri station stands on an elevated level as it connects the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro rail. "But it could not make use of the elevated auto deck - for which the authorities spent R10 crore. Instead of being used by autorickshaws to drop passengers near the station's entrance, it's being used by pedestrians," the official said.