Mumbai: New Himalaya bridge at CSMT to finally get an escalator

Work on the bridge is 50 per cent complete. Pic/Ashish Raje

After a lot of back and forth, the Himalaya bridge at CSMT will finally get an escalator. The idea was mooted in 2019, but got delayed due to design issues. The Himalaya foot overbridge collapsed on March 14, 2019, claiming seven lives and injuring seven others.

Following the incident, the BMC took seven months to decide whether there was need for a bridge at the north end of CSMT. After audit reports revealed that nearly 50,000-plus passengers used the bridge, the BMC decided to attach an escalator to one of the two exit points opposite CSMT. But the idea suffered a setback, due to lack of sufficient space.

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In June 2021, the BMC floated a tender without a mention of an escalator; the work was supposed to be completed within 15 months at a cost of Rs 5.75 crore. "There were underground utilities like water lines, BEST cables, MTNL cables etc, which had to be managed, and an issue of unavailability of land as well," said a BMC official, explaining reasons for the delay.

Now, with 50 per cent of work remaining, including a staircase at one end, BMC has decided to attach an escalator. "We decided to attach escalators to all the new bridges where possible. Though earlier the idea of an escalator at Himalaya bridge was dropped due to technical reasons, it will be attached on another exit," said Satish Thosar, chief of Bridges department of the BMC. The civic body hasn't set a deadline for completion of the work yet. Smriti Amberkar, a regular commuter said, "Every day we have to wait at the signal to cross mere 50 metres of road. It will be good if they can provide an escalator."