Mumbai station development will be done keeping in mind next 20 years: MRVC chief

Mumbai Vikas Railway Corporation chief RS Khurana discusses plans to overhaul city’s stations

The Elphinstone Road stampede, which claimed 23 lives, brought into focus how the lack of infrastructure at railway stations. With plans to now overhaul several stations, RS Khurana, chairman and managing director, Mumbai Vikas Railway Corporation (MRVC), says development will be done in a manner wherein the stations will be able to accommodate passengers for the next 20 years.

23 people were killed in the stampede at Elphinstone Road station.

The Indian Station Redevelopment Corporation (ISRDC) is undertaking redevelopment and commercial development of stations. Under MUTP-2A, MRVC had provided FOBs, decks, interconnecting FOBs, escalators, elevators to ease the passenger flow at the stations like Andheri, Goregaon, Borivli, Kanjurmarg and Thakurli.

The improvement work of stations under MUTP-2 was mainly to control trespassing. The development of each station, which will be undertaken under MUTP-3A, will be different. The stations will have more amenities for passengers, including elevated decks, where ever it is possible; interconnecting FOBs to platforms; escalators and elevators.