Mumbai: This 350m missing link will make walk to Bandra Terminus a breeze

A 350metre foot overbridge FOB could help commuters heading to Bandra Terminus bypass the menace of duplicitous auto drivers and the chaos outside Bandra station Auto drivers charge Rs 3040 per passenger to ferry them between the station and terminus dropping them off at the north end towards Khar The distance is nearly 400 metres because an existing south entryexit gate of Bandra Terminus which includes a booking office and circulating area has been sealed by RailwaysThe deserted skywalk that links Khar station and Bandra TerminusThe only other entryexit point at Bandra Terminus is at the extreme north end With the only available entryexit point being at the extreme north end the distance seems longer between the station and the terminus Railways has been pushing for extensive use of the entryexit near Khar station but there isnrsquot much signage indicating where commuters at the station must go to reach Bandra stationThe current situationAt present linking together small FOBs Western Railway WR has a 12km FOB or skywalk that links the Churchgate end of Khar suburban station to the Churchgate end of Bandra Terminus It traverses the entire length of the terminus passing over platform 1The eastern side of Bandra station where commuters are fleeced by the auto mafiaWhile the long FOB at Bandra Terminus was built earlier the final 314metre FOB connecting it to the Khar suburban station was commissioned by WR in 2022 Joining the dots this has now been made into a 12km FOB allowing for a seamless walkThe lonnnnnnnnng walk The 12km long skywalk from Khar to Bandra Terminus running above platform one of the terminus is isolated sealed amp shut at its southend limiting access The staircase circulating area amp booking office at this side are also locked with half thehellip httpstcodu9F0HYQ8k pictwittercomvYtUKJZk7tmdash Rajendra B Aklekar rajtoday October 31 2024The final 196metre stretch of the FOB which takes one to the Churchgate end of the Bandra Terminus is in a neglected state almost abandoned with the main station entrance along with a booking office locked and sealed and not in public useTrial runThe 12km skywalk which links the Churchgate ends of Khar station and Bandra Terminus PicsRajendra B Aklekarmidday took a walk on the 12 km FOB from Khar station to Bandra Terminus to find that it is seamless but deserted and isolated It would be risky to walk on it in the night Also the bridge has limited entryexit points making it a difficult walk It has vagrants sitting on it at certain points The final 196m stretch is in a bad state with broken tube lights and locked and sealed gates at the north end It does not even land on platform 1 but takes one to platform 3 as the main circulating area of the station at this end being locked upWhat can be doneTaking the same bridge ahead in the southern direction would bring this portion into good use and link it to the Bandra suburban station ending all the connectivity issues The bridge will have to run over the single STA Suburban Traffic Avoidance line parallel to the flyover and link to the existing north end Khar end bridge of Bandra local station While FOBs exist at both ends it is just a matter of connectivity between the twoCommuter bodies push for changeldquoIt is the most obvious thing and I have been highlighting with the railways for the past ten years for this and it is still not ready It will save immense hardship that thousands have to face to travel between the two station complexesrdquo Rajiv Singal member of Western Railway Mumbairsquos Divisional Railway Usersrsquo Consultative Committee saidThe blocked exit at the Churchgate end of Bandra TerminusldquoYes A skywalk should be there But Railways should also place batteryoperated buggy vehicles on this bridge as the station is vast Such vehicles can ferry senior citizens and ailing commuters who will not be able to walk such distances Also it becomes difficult for passengers with heavy luggage to walk long distancesrdquo Shailesh Goyal former member National Railway Users Consultative Committee saidOfficial SpeakWR officials said they had already proposed a 340metrelong skywalk worth R24 crore to connect Bandra Terminus 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 stationldquoThe work of a new bridge at the north east end at Bandra station with the Bandra Terminus south end skywalk has been sanctioned and will be processed as it is presently under tenderrdquo WR chief public relations officer Vineet Abhishek saidWhy the delayFOBs at Bandra station have been under development since the COVID19 lockdown In January 2020 the Churchgateend 10metrewide FoB at the train station came into place This was followed by dismantling and reconstructing of old FOBs at the station in 2021 followed by a few new bridges including the one at Bandra LC gate end Khar station Churchgate end and Bandra suburban station Virar end The maze of these bridges created a gap between the Bandra local and Terminus station where a proposal was first mooted in 2022 followed by a concrete plan in 2023 However the actual implementation of the process was due to several factors and processing took time As of 2024 the bridge now stands sanctioned on paper and has been pushed ahead for tendering Once the tenders are finalised work on the project shall begin which may take a few more years