The revamped coach will sit among rare railway artefacts at the terminus’s heritage gully, is expected to be ready by month-end
The train compartment that is currently being revamped as a restaurant near platform 18 at CSMT
The ‘meals on wheels’ rail coach arrived at CSMT (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) recently and is being revamped as a vibrant, colourful restaurant. Once it is ready, anyone will be able to walk in for a meal, even those not waiting to board a train. The restaurant coach is expected to be thrown open by month-end. mid-day had first reported on the coach, expected to be the star attraction at CSMT, in November 2020.
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“The coach will be developed into a restaurant and has been placed in the garden area near the rail heritage gully near platform 18. It is outside the ticketing area so even the general public who do not intend to take the train can enjoy it. It will be opened soon,” Central Railway (CR) Chief Public Relations Officer Shivaji Sutar said.
Officials said the restaurant would have two sections — one with beverages and the other with a variety of cuisines. It can accommodate 40 people at a time. The rail-themed restaurant will have ample parking space, ATMs, and easy connectivity to the Eastern Freeway. The open-air heritage gully at CSMT, illuminated well at night, has several rare artefacts from India’s first railway and the restaurant coach will stand among the artefacts.
In February 2020, a similar restaurant on wheels was opened by the Asansol division of the Eastern Railway. Officials of the Asansol division said the ‘Restaurant on Wheels’ that they built was made out of old, over-aged Mainline EMU train coaches by converting them into two themed aesthetically pleasing restaurants.
40
No. of people the restaurant will be able to serve