Western Railway updates: Congested Prabhadevi station gets a major overhaul

The demolished railway staff quarters outside Prabhadevi station. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

With the demolition of old railway buildings and the clearing of land at the congested Prabhadevi station, over 1,600 square metres of open space have been created. This marks a significant improvement at the once overcrowded station, where a stampede had previously occurred. The completed demolition of old railway quarters also paves the way for a permanent solution to issues like water-logging and seepage during the monsoon season.

The complaints have been that the entry and exit to the railway station has been through a narrow road that led to the staircase of the three bridges connecting Prabhadevi and Parel stations. With new open spaces created, the problem has been sorted once and for all.

Artist's rendering of the new look façade of Prabhadevi station

The work of the station upgrade has been taken up under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS) with plans for a circulating area, parking and other passenger amenities in the once-narrow lane.

Confirming the development, a senior official said, "Yes. Both the buildings have been demolished and this entire area will be developed under ABSS. We are going to construct an underground and an overhead water storage tank after demolishing the old tank, with a garden and landscaping to be developed, and the station entry will have a façade."

"There have been persistent complaints every year of water-logging and seepage of water. We have found that the sewer and stormwater drainage of this area is very old and is not working and hence water stagnates in this area during rains, so the drainage in this area has to be improved. A new state-of-the-art system is being developed to weed out the problem once and for all," he added.

In addition to this, more facilities that include a pay and use toilet block, public parking and a completely new road will be paved in.

"A lift is also in the plan at the north-end foot overbridge. Other peripheral works include repairs to the boundary wall. In addition to all this, some of the space will also be exploited commercially and made use of for commuters," he added.

1,600sqm
Space cleared after demolition