Mumbai: Mall at Dadar station for out-of-box revenue

Passengers wait at Dadar station. Railway officials are confident that the idea will click, with Dadar being the interchange station for CR and WR. File pic/Ashish Raje

With an eye on revenue amid the economic slowdown due to the prevailing pandemic, Western Railway has come up with an idea to build a ‘family mall' at Dadar station, giving waiting passengers access to branded food kiosks, a gaming zone, etc. The aim is to earn out of the box revenue. Railway officials are confident that the idea will click, given the massive footfall at Dadar station.

"The Non-Fare Revenue team of Mumbai division has come up with a new idea where the licensee will develop, maintain and operate the concept of a family mall at the busy Dadar station for five years," a senior official said.

"It will be located near the elevated booking hall on the east side at the station on a plot measuring 508.46 sq-m. The concept is to bring multiple brands together under one roof, keeping in mind passengers' different needs, like grocery, apparels, accessories, gaming zone, multiplex, etc," he added.

Over the years, the footfall at Dadar station has increased steadily. The average footfall of the station was over 5 lakh during the pre-pandemic days. "As per estimates, the minimum revenue potential for railways will be Rs 2,08,57,944 [Rs 2.08 crore] per annum without any capital expenditure," he added.

The official said the licensee will also be entitled to sub-let the whole or part of the allotted space and that it will be an exciting and convenient shopping option for commuters, with Dadar being an interchange station between CR and WR.