CSMT being spruced up for centenary of first train in city

MUMBAI: Central Railway is cleaning the CSMT building before Feb 3, with a ₹2.50-crore project nearing completion amid ongoing ₹2,700 crore redevelopment.

MUMBAI: Central Railway (CR) is racing against time to clean up the heritage Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) building before February 3, the date when the first train ran on the electrified section back in 1925 between the then Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla. A portion of the ₹2.50-crore cleaning project is nearing completion.

CSMT being spruced up for centenary of first train in city

Sources said that the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), which is carrying out the redevelopment of the UNESCO World Heritage site, was also supposed to undertake maintenance of the existing building, but as the overall work was moving slowly, the CR authorities took it up. Senior railway officials also said that the project cost for the CSMT redevelopment was likely to touch ₹2,700 crore, from the original ₹2,450 crore, for which funds are being sought in the forthcoming budget.

Towards a shinier CSMT building

In mid-December last year, CR began covering the grand Victorian Gothic structure with green cloth woven on a scaffolding which covered the entire length from the clock tower till the entrance below. According to sources in CR this work has been undertaken, as air pollution has blackened the stone walls of the grand edifice.

The authorities covered the walls part by part for the cleaning activity, which is now at the fag end. At present, the cleaning of the roofs is underway on the concourse facing Platforms 1 to 3 adjacent to the Star Chamber. Recently, the beams of the transparent roofs were painted white with hues of gold.

Experts in the field of restoration of such heritage buildings feel that the CSMT buildings are being cleaned too often, although only with water, which could lead to discoloration. “There are different schools of thought on the cleaning and upkeep of Victorian buildings,” said an expert. “I personally believe that cleaning should be done by a scientific method, and only soiled portions should be addressed. The erection of scaffolding that touches the walls of the building and the use of abrasives for polishing the stones should be avoided. Is there actually a need to keep cleaning this heritage building so often?”

Redevelopment of CSMT

Work on the massive revamp of CSMT, undertaken by RLDA, has been ongoing for the past few months. Sources said there was an increase of ₹250 crore in the project cost—the original cost of the redevelopment project, which is being executed by Ahluwalia Contracts Limited, was ₹2,450 crore. CR approved the plan in December 2022.

“The overall completion of work is around 10-12%,” said a railway official. “We are working on the construction of a new building where the staff working for Central Railway’s DRM office building will be shifted. Simultaneously we are constructing a building with a multi-level parking lot, office spaces and other amenities towards the Wadi Bunder end.”

Apart from the parking lot, which has a capacity of 700-plus vehicles, there will be restaurants, shopping malls and commercial outlets on the first floor, which will connect to a skywalk taking people to the other side of the station over the railway tracks. A new foot over bridge which will connect all the platforms has also been proposed.

The redevelopment covers an area of 4,61,534 square metres, and one can see barricading outside Platform 18 of CSMT parallel to P D’Mello Road where the authorities are digging to construct a new railway office building and station premises. Over 95 percent of the excavation work is now complete at the site.