Mumbai: Ghatkopar upgrade Phase 1 completed

MP Manoj Kotak (centre) buys a ticket at the new ticket window

Done and dusted! Highlighted by mid-day, pushed by local MP Manoj Kotak, initiated by Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and implemented by Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MVRC) with continuous follow-ups by this newspaper over the last four years, Phase-I of Ghatkopar station upgrade is finally complete and was opened to the public on Thursday morning. The completed work includes a 12-metre-wide and 75-metre-long foot overbridge (FOB) with multiple central staircases and a 15-metre-wide and 47-metre-long deck linked to the existing FOB.

The new bridge and deck at Ghatkopar station were opened with much fanfare by local MP Manoj Kotak and MLA Parag Shah as part of Phase-I. However, it is not directly linked to the Mumbai Metro Blue Line 1 Ghatkopar station. It focuses on the East side while the actual requirement has been on the West. A similar, wider deck with direct access to the Metro station will be built on the West side as part of Phase-II.

The completed work includes a 12-metre-wide and 75-metre-long FOB

"The biggest difficulty faced by commuters at Ghatkopar railway station is the rush during peak hours on main FOB which connects with the Metro line as most of these commuters travel by the Metro. Railway authorities should have connected this FOB directly with the Metro line to reduce rush on the main FOB. They should also consider building an alternate FOB from Ghatkopar railway station to the other end of Metro station," commuter Ankit Shah said.

Kotak agreed with the sentiment saying, "Yes, the real connectivity would be when there is direct access to the Metro station. I have issued directives to the railways to work on the access of this bridge and deck on priority. Work on phase two will continue with its timeline, but access to the Metro station will remain the priority."

"The new FOB has 3-metre-wide staircases on PF (platform)-1, PF-2/3, PF-4 & the East side. In addition to these staircases, provision of central double-discharge staircases has also been provided on PF2/3 and PF4 and escalators will also be available on these platforms and on the East side.

However, only the staircases were commissioned on Thursday and the escalators will be operational in a phased manner over the next few months," an MRVC spokesperson said, adding that an elevated booking office has been constructed on the East deck with a provision for five booking counters. The total cost of work on Phase-I is Rs 18 crore.

Ghatkopar has been an important junction station since it sees a large amount of footfall due to integration with the Mumbai Metro Line 1. mid-day had highlighted in a front-page report on August 30, 2019 - 'Next disaster arriving on platform no. 1' - how Ghatkopar station had turned into a deathtrap. Following this, local Member of Parliament from northeast Mumbai, Manoj Kotak followed up on the issue with the then railway minister Piyush Goyal. Goyal at a public function on September 13, 2019, directed railway officials to come up with an elaborate plan and upgrade the station. "The work on Phase-II is also under process and will be completed by the due deadline," said Subhash Chand Gupta, chairman and managing director, MRVC.

Rs 18cr
Cost of work for Phase-I