Mumbai: Expansion of 149-year-old old Sion station hits a wall of nostalgia

The old artwork-like metal structures at the present Sion station

As the Central Railway plans an expansive station at Sion by razing the existing infrastructure, activists and rail fans have urged it to save several parts of the 149-year-old old station or move them to the new premises.

Work going on at Sion station as part of its expansion programme

The petitioners say they are driven by the sheer nostalgia the station evokes. It is one of the key stations on the country's oldest rail line, which was earlier called the Great Indian Peninsula Railway before being rechristened as the Central Railway. The present station is being shifted a bit westward to accommodate additional tracks and new platforms.

"The original station building is in good shape and has been maintained very well. It is one of the last few remaining structures with the logos of the original GIP Railway and should not be dismantled. If possible, officials should find a way to shift it entirely," said rail fan Arpan Mitra who has been documenting the past era of railways and transport in Mumbai. He called the building an important piece of history of the Indian Railways as well as Mumbai.

"This is worth preserving as a fingerpost to the history of the railways in Mumbai and it does not even cost anything. Instead of preserving our rich heritage we are hell-bent on destroying it," city historian Deepak Rao said.

Under the project, officials said, the upcoming Sion station will move towards the LBS Road. The plan is to demolish the existing fast platform which is not in use and utilise the space for two lines to segregate suburban and outbound trains.

"The existing platform on which the heritage structure stands will be converted into an island platform of sorts and the old hut will have to make way for the development. This work is a part of 5th and 6th line [between Kalyan and Parel]," said a senior railway official. Sources said the shift may also help the Central Railway tide over the perennial flooding at Sion with wider drainage.

However, doing away with heritage is not the right path to development, insist rail enthusiasts. "With regards to the preservation of heritage by Central Railway, the first railway zone from which Indian Railways has originated, CR should be more careful and sincerely try to preserve ancient relics and store it in a proper museum for everyone to view and know about its past," rail fan Vijay Aravamudhan said.

Central Railway chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said they will try and save parts of the old building. He said, "We have a heritage gully and a gallery at Mumbai CSMT. We will try and see what we can do about the old structure."