Mumbai: Leaky subway in Kasara gets new roof, thanks to commuters

The subway at Kasara railway station before the overhaul; (right) Apart from fixing the roof and lighting, the Central Railway has also spruced up the floor

A leaky subway at Kasara has been upgraded with a new protective roof and better lighting following repeated complaints by commuters, who now feel the project can be a template for such underpasses across Mumbai's suburban rail network.

The subway is located at the entry point of platform number 4 and runs below six to seven pairs of rail lines. For years, the dimly lit passageway gave tough times to users during monsoon as water would constantly drip from the roof.

"To start with, it is very narrow. During rains, it became more of a problem every year with intense waterlogging and filth, all because water from the rail tracks seeped down," said Shailesh Raut of Kalyan Kasara Passengers' Association.

Raut said they had been complaining to authorities for quite some time. "Then I visited the headquarters of Central Railway, met the divisional manager and other senior officials and explained to them the seriousness of the problem. It was after all the efforts and follow-up that we got a super design," said Raut.

The railways have installed an additional layer of fibre-reinforced cover on the roof and fixed the lighting apart from sprucing up the floor. "It won't leak in the monsoon and no longer remain dark and dingy at night," Raut added.

Another commuter activist said the railways can replicate the Kasara subway overhaul for other subways with a porous roof. "It's a simple idea that has worked well," he said.

CR's subway plan

As part of its efforts to make railway station premises more commuter-friendly, the Central Railway plans to build many more subways in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. As per an official document, it will construct 255 road under bridges. In the Mumbai region alone, 22 underpasses have been proposed of which one has already been built. Officials said monsoon and drainage issues are individually examined before the construction of every subway.

255
No. of new road under bridges proposed for MMR