This is why you are still dragging your luggage around CSMT

The travelator at Ratnagiri railway station, which ferries about 9,000 passengers over a 12-degree inclination in an hour

Imagine having to lug heavy baggage from platform one of the suburban concourse at CSMT to platform 18 at the other end. A foot overbridge at the north end of the suburban station spans the 400-m distance between the two points, but negotiating staircases, escalators and elevators is hardly a cakewalk. A travelator would make a world of difference in such a scenario, but plans to install moving walkways in busy stations have been stuck in red tape for months.

A plan prepared by the Mumbai division of Central Railway (CR) last year has been stuck due to approvals and specification issues. Senior citizens and passengers have always expressed the need of travelators at city stations, which have a limited number of lifts. Travelators, also known as moving walkways, are conveyor belts that transport people across short to medium distances. They are often found in public places like airports, train stations or shopping malls.

The travelator at Ratnagiri railway station, which ferries about 9,000 passengers in an hour

Given the space limitations at city stations, travelators, cannot be installed everywhere. The plan was to introduce them initially at key stations where express trains halt and terminate, including CSMT and Kurla LTT, where space is available.

"Mumbai stations are always crowded, making it difficult for one to negotiate steep escalators with luggage when one needs to catch outstation express trains. Lifts are also limited. Keeping this point in mind, we had proposed travelators at a few Mumbai stations. It was a perfect idea," a senior official said.

The travelator at Rani Kamlapati railway station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh

"However, it never saw the light of the day as we were bombarded with thousands of queries and there was a need for a lot of clearances and specifications. For any new technology or a public utility, the approval of the Research, Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), the Indian Railways' technical consultancy arm, is mandatory. Since this is not yet in use on a mass scale anywhere prominently, the idea didn't take off. Now it is being pushed as part of the ongoing redevelopment work at CSMT. The extensive redevelopment project boasts an airport-like design, featuring 100 lifts, 75 escalators and 10 travelators," he added.

The RDSO is the key body that prepares technical specifications, grants approvals and certifies any new technology for public use in Indian Railways. The approvals are granted after rigorous tests and trials in all possible conditions and experiments. The standards set are then applicable across the Indian Railways network and can be replicated anywhere.

OfficialSpeak

Railway officials said they were working on the specifications, and no new technology could be introduced until guidelines were in place. "Railways are used by the masses, and one needs to be careful while deciding on every parameter and just cannot rush things through. We are working on preparing specifications and guidelines and they shall be in force soon," a Railway Board official said.

Passenger reactions

Commuters and transport experts welcomed the idea. However, some had issues. Jagdeep Desai, architect, academician, founder trustee and chairperson of Forum for Improving Quality of Life in Mumbai, said, "The idea is good. But the problem will be maintenance, and worse, damage by vandals or even supposedly innocent children. The entire system will take up lots of space on already narrow platforms. Plus, there will be construction for months, disrupting normal commuter movement, even possibly endangering those on platforms. It's better to have more electric carts at CSMT and Mumbai Central."

Ratnagiri station

At present, the Konkan Railway Corporation Limited is one of the few important railways to have a working travelator at railway stations. The travelator at Ratnagiri, with a 15kW electric motor, ferries about 9,000 passengers over a 12-degree inclination in an hour. It is one metre wide and 29.26 metres in length and was installed at a cost of about Rs 1 crore.

Rani Kamlapati station

For the benefit of differently abled passengers, at the redeveloped Rani Kamlapati railway station, an old ramp facility has now been replaced with travelator with railings connecting all platforms.

Jacob Circle travelator

A travelator is also being built at Jacob Circle, Mahalaxmi. The 700-metre pedestrian bridge will connect the monorail station at Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk, the Mahalaxmi suburban railway station and the underground Aqua Line 3 Metro station.

The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation intends to install 138 lifts and 208 escalators at city stations by 2027. The Western and Central Railway will also be adding a number of them independently besides these.

10
No. of travelators proposed for CSMT

138
No. of lifts MRVC plans to install at city stations by 2027