Mumbai train travel to get better: FOBs, water dispensers, ramps at 7 stations in 6 months

Mumbai stations that are not included in the A and A1 categories — those that earn 50 crore annually — and have enough space will get food plazas

Do you travel by the suburban railway network? Good news, you will soon be able to avail of amenities such as more foot overbridges, better seating arrangements, water vending machines, ramps for physically challenged commuters and enquiry counters.

Those that are visited by more than 2 lakh passengers daily are likely to get such facilities and station directors. (HT File)

These facilities will be set up at Kurla, Ghatkopar, Churchgate, Wadala, Jogeshwari, Belapur and Parel over the next six months.

The western and the central railway will conduct surveys to find out which stations have a higher footfall.

Those that are visited by more than 2 lakh passengers daily are likely to get such facilities and station directors.Such facilities, however, cannot be made available at all stations owing to space constraints.

The move comes after Union railway minister Piyush Goyal announced that suburban stations would be categorised on the basis of passenger footfall and earnings, not on the distance between stations.

According to railway officials, many suburban stations are not in the A and A1 category — those that earn 50 crore annually — and thus do not have a lot of facilities.

At a marathon meeting held on Saturday, Goyal realised that stations such as Parel and Ghatkopar may not earn a lot, but have high footfall.

He thus announced that the footfall at suburban stations would be checked.“The railway board will issue a detailed order on the categorisation of the suburban railway stations in a few days. However, the footfall-checking survey will commence soon,” added an official.