Stalls at Mumbai railway stations to be standardised after 25 years, will allow more space for commuters to move around

The old design of the stall that exists at most city stations

New age, new design: 25 years later, Western Railway's Mumbai division has proposed new designs for canteen stalls at the city's railway stations. The new, aesthetic and narrower stalls have been designed in a "participative manner" to help decongest existing platforms. "The older stalls were designed in 1999, but the aim now is to refine the design further and install new-look stalls," an official said. Some of the key features include a rate list at eye level, back-lit boards and the inclusion of fire-resistant materials.

The new stall design at Marine Lines station. Pic/Sayeed Sameer Abedi

"Over time, redevelopment work at stations has led to significant changes. To improve the visibility and aesthetics of catering units and elevate the experience of travelling passengers, a new catering stall design is needed. There is also a need to broaden standards for modular stall designs so that passenger experience is improved, and better visibility helps catering unit owners generate higher revenue," an official added.

"The newer stalls have the same dimensions as the older ones but are more spacious in design. This change may not directly impact the number of passengers on platforms. The protruding parts in the older stall have been removed, making them new ones appear more elegant," a Western Railway (WR) official explained.

A stall with the new design at Marine Lines station, on Monday. Pic/Sayeed Sameer Abedi

To address these issues, the Mumbai division of Western Railway is running a pilot project. It involves designing modular catering units in-house using fire-resistant materials, incorporating electrical safety features, improving ergonomics for staff, segregating dry and wet waste, and introducing suitable dustbin designs. The project also aims to standardise stall locations and information displays.

"The current catering unit designs follow Railway Board standards set in 1999. These policies standardised the size and dimensions of stalls to reduce platform congestion. However, divisions have the flexibility to adjust dimensions based on the local conditions of individual stations," the official added.

The pilot design has already been implemented at the following stations

Charni Road
Marine Lines
Lower Parel
Kandivli
Borivli
Virar