Public toilets on Mumbai Metro stations are clean, but not accessible enough

mid-day audit reveals washrooms are sanitary though gaps in accessibility, maintenance linger

In the concluding part of our series on the state of public toilets in the city, mid-day examined the facilities along the four functional Metro lines. While the washrooms were generally well-maintained, there is room for improvement. On Blue Line 1, public toilets are located outside the ticketing area, making them accessible to everyone. However, newer Metro lines have toilets inside the ticketing area, with some exceptions, such as Aqua Line 3 stations built using the NATM tunnelling method. Here, construction limitations necessitated placing utilities outside the ticketing area.

Blue Line 1

Ghatkopar
The washroom at Ghatkopar station, located just after the entry gate, is one of the most used. Despite a continuous inflow of commuters and visitors, it is well-maintained and adequately staffed.

Marol
The toilet at Marol station is clean and in good shape. Being a connecting station for Aqua Line 3, it sees rising footfalls. Still, the interiors and corridors are well-maintained.

DN Nagar has clean facilities and are regularly maintained

DN Nagar
As an intersection of the Yellow and Blue Lines, DN Nagar station has its toilets outside the ticketing zone, accessible to both commuters and the general public. These facilities are clean and regularly maintained.

The Western Express Highway station’s facilities are well-maintained and regularly cleaned. Pics/Prasun Choudhari

Western Express Highway
This major station, connecting the Red Line and Blue Line, also has its toilets outside the ticketing zone, making them accessible to non-travellers. The facilities are well-maintained with regular cleaning.

Aqua Line 3

BKC Metro Station
The BKC station has a toilet outside the ticketing area in the concourse. It is clean and well-maintained, but some urinals are blocked. A functional toilet for the disabled is also available.

CSMI T1
The domestic airport station, also recently opened to the public, has toilets inside the ticketing zone. They are clean and in excellent condition, although inaccessible to non-travellers.

CSMI T2
The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (T2) station, widely used by airline staff and crew, has toilets inside the ticketing zone on a level above the platforms. These spotless facilities had some minor water spillage on the floor.

Line 2A (Yellow Line)

Dahisar East
Serving as an intersection with the Red Line, Dahisar East station’s toilets are inside the ticketing zone, restricting access for non-travellers. When mid-day visited the spot, the facilities were found to be clean and equipped with a maintenance schedule chart.

Andheri West
This intersection of the Yellow and Blue Lines is used by commuters travelling between Ghatkopar and Dahisar. The toilets are inside the ticketing zone but were found to be in a less clean state compared to those of other Yellow Line stations.

Line 7 (Red Line)

Gundavli station was found to be cleaner than the other stations

Gundavli
As a major station connecting the Blue and Red Lines, Gundavli sees heavy footfalls. Its toilets, located inside the ticketing zone, were found to be cleaner than those at Andheri West station.

Veer Kotwal Udyan in Dadar West looks clean at first glance but a foul smell emanates from its urinals

Veer Kotwal Udyan public toilet
The public toilet at Veer Kotwal Udyan in Dadar West looks clean at first glance. Caretakers claim to sanitise it four times a day, but when mid-day visited the spot, the urinals emitted a smell and some were leaking. Though users consider it reasonably clean, they said that there was some scope for improvement.

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