FOB connecting Wankhede stadium opens to public ahead of IPL match

Five years after shutting the railway FOB connecting Wankhede stadium, Western Railway (WR) has rebuilt and opened the bridge for public ahead of the first Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match at Wankhede stadium on Monday.

MUMBAI: Five years after shutting the railway FOB connecting Wankhede stadium, Western Railway (WR) has rebuilt and opened the bridge for public ahead of the first Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 match at Wankhede stadium on Monday. This FOB is over rail tracks between Churchgate and Marine Lines stations and caters to three stands inside the stadium.

FOB connecting Wankhede stadium opens to public ahead of IPL match

The Western Railway authorities on Friday said that they have successfully rebuilt and opened the Wankhede North FOB for public use to ensure convenience for cricket fans ahead of the match at the stadium. The reconstruction of the FOB was completed in just eight months after receiving necessary funds from the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

Vineet Abhishek, chief PRO, Western Railway, said: “The newly constructed FOB is now operational with two staircase - one at the east side (north facing) and another at the west side (north facing). This will ensure seamless movement of pedestrians, especially during the upcoming IPL matches. Additionally, the two other staircases (south facing) on east and west sides will be handed over to the MCA by April 7, 2025”.

The 48-metre-long FOB has a width of 6.30 metre and has been rebuilt at a cost of ₹6.50 crore. The FOBs cater to half of North Stand (now Dilip Vengsarkar Stand), Sunil Gavaskar Stand (East Stand) and the Vittal Divecha Stand and are built above the railway tracks on the northern end of the Churchgate railway station.

WR officials said that lighting and surveillance cameras have been installed by MCA to enhance security and visibility.

The original FOB was closed in June 2020 following a safety audit conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai. There was a delay in the construction of the FOB due to indecision over who will bear the cost of the reconstruction, the MCA or WR.

The contention raised by the WR authorities was that the FOBs are used only by the cricket fans, rather than the general public, and, therefore, it should be the MCA’s responsibility to maintain these. However, eventually, WR built the FOBs while the MCA funded the project.