Longest railway foot overbridge in city to be inaugurated on I-Day

Express News Service | Mumbai | August 12, 2014

 

 Meanwhile, the Central Railway is also gearing up to introduce thematic lighting for the heritage building at CST. (Source: Express photo by Kevin DSouza)

Summary

The 270-metre long, 5.3-metre wide walkway will connect all 18 platforms at CST, facilitating easier movement of commuters.

The longest railway foot overbridge (FOB) in Mumbai, spanning from the suburban side to the non-suburban side at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) will be opened for public use on August 15. The 270-metre long, 5.3-metre wide elevated walkway will connect all 18 platforms at the station,  facilitating easier movement at one of the busiest stations in Mumbai.
The FOB was initially planned in 2007, however, due to lack of funds, construction work began only in 2012. The cost of the FOB, which was earlier estimated to cost Rs 4.88 crore has escalated to Rs 7 crore during the construction period.
“The FOB is ready with only some minor work remaining. It should be thrown open soon,” said a senior railway officer, adding that authorities were planning to inaugurate it on  Independence Day.
The FOB is connected to existing north end FOB at CST and the the FOB from platform 15 to 18 towards the non-suburban side.
According to railway officials, many passengers use local trains to come to CST to board long distance trains.
However, a lot of time is wasted in moving from the bustling suburban side of the station to the non-suburban side as passengers have to go past a stream of daily commuters as well as the busy concourse on the non-suburban side.
Meanwhile, the CR is also gearing up to introduce thematic lighting for the heritage building at CST. The Rs 4.8-crore project financed by Maharashtra Tourism Development Corportation will give the heritage building a distinct look on special occasions such as Independence Day or Diwali.
“To begin with we are planning to have tri-colour lights on the upcoming Independence Day,” said a senior railway officer.
A total of 500 Red Blue Green (RBG) LED lights have been set up while another 500 are expected to be installed soon.  The RBG lights can generate any colour of light by varying the intensity of red blue green lights, said a CR spokesperson.
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