Mumbai: Massive wall demolished at Bandra station for open space development

The bogey that will be converted into a restaurant. Pic/Anurag Ahire

With the demolition of a high wall along the road behind the railway police station, the Bandra railway station now features a 3,500 sqm open space on its west side. On the east side, the Railways plan to connect the existing foot overbridges within the suburban station to Bandra Terminus.

"After the heritage restoration of the station, we moved the barricades further away and stopped autos and other vehicles from approaching the station. This created a pedestrian plaza and a circulating area for commuters," said Western Railway's Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek.

"In the second stage on the west, there was a dump area behind a massive wall along Guru Nanak Road near Bandra Lake. We demolished the wall and uncovered a large open space, which is now being developed into an activity area. A coach for a ‘restaurant on wheels' will soon be operational there," he added. Additionally, Western Railway is undertaking efforts to decongest the station façade by creating open spaces and establishing new amenities. Meanwhile, India's last remaining cast iron rail bridge at Bandra is set to be replaced in the coming weeks.

Asked about the lack of amenities like escalators in Bandra East, officials said there is a plan for the east too. "We have proposed a 340-metre-long skywalk worth R24 crore to connect Bandra Terminus to the suburban station which will prove as an alternative to auto rickshaw drivers outside Bandra East station and will make it convenient for passengers to reach Bandra Terminus without getting down onto the road at Bandra station," an official said. "The plan is to also connect the network of bridges to the new BMC skywalk that is coming up," the official added.