Churchgate station to undergo ₹2.4 crore repair work

The Western Railway (WR) has decided to undertake strengthening and improvement work of the Churchgate suburban railway station building at a cost of ₹2.4 crore.

Structural repairs to the external part of the building, along with waterproofing and weatherproofing will be done. Repair of the external plasters of the station building and internal structures will also be undertaken.

Improvement of the building facade and strengthening work is likely to be completed by October 2021.

“Audit of the building structure was conducted, and minor strengthening and improvement work was being undertaken since long. However, now major exterior work to the building structure and minor structural improvements to the internal portion of the building will be done,” said a senior WR official.

WR undertook a structural audit along with a third-party audit of the Churchgate station building in 2019 after six aluminium panels placed outside the building on the east facade fell, resulting in the death of a passenger.

The six aluminium panels, which were part of the Mahatma Gandhi mural, fell on a 63-year-old commuter after strong winds and rainfall owing to Cyclone Vayu lashed the city in 2019.

Three commuters were also injured in the incident. The panels were placed on the station building in 2012 and had a mural of Mahatma Gandhi painted by Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra, under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative in 2017.