Ghatkopar station fixed: Metro moves collection gate inside

Mumbai Metro One has completed major structural changes to the station that will partly address the congestion issue that mid-day had highlighted a few weeks ago. Beginning today, Metro passengers will not spill onto the railway footover bridge at Ghatkopar.

Among other modifications, Metro authorities have pushed behind the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates, doubling the commuter holding area. An official note released by Mumbai Metro One said that commuters will experience a new queuing system at Ghatkopar Metro station with a new passenger flow plan coming into effect from Monday, September 23. In addition to pushing back the AFC gates, the Mumbai Metro team has removed all the food stalls cluttering the area, the Central Railway ticket counter, and the Metro station manager's office near the entry points, creating more space on either sides of the main staircase.

Central Railway officials hoped that with the new queuing system, the crowd of Metro passengers will not spill on to the footover bridge. "It all depends on the number of passengers and queue length etc. There will be more clarity once the new system comes into effect from Monday. A clearer picture will emerge this week," a CR station official said. The doubling of holding area of passengers by Mumbai Metro team is now being followed up by CR officials who have taken up improvements to the station to decongest it. mid-day had highlighted in a story a week ago on how congestion at Ghatkopar was leading to problems as the station which has commuters from Metro and Central Railway both had been cluttered with not-so-important facilities and infrastructure.

Mumbai North East Member of Parliament Manoj Kotak took up the issue with Railway Minister Piyush Goyal who pulled up railway officials on stage in public asking them to improve the picture of the station. Following this, Kotak and railway officials visited the station and worked out a decongestion plan in co-ordination with Metro officials. DRM Sanjay Kumar Jain, RPF Divisional Commissioner KK Ashraf, Senior Commercial Manager Narendra Panwar, and other MRVC officials too were present.

The Mumbai Metro team has removed all the stalls cluttering the area, the Central Railway ticket counter and the Metro station manager's office near the entry points while pushing back the AFC gates to create more space

Inspection at station

They inspected the station for two hours, walking down the platform, inspecting amenities and then moving to the Metro station above, where they discussed with the station manager on how realignments could be done to ease congestion and increase passenger movement. Goyal also directed Western Railway officials to conduct a similar study at Andheri station, which also has Metro connectivity like Ghatkopar and faces similar congestion.

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Ghatkopar's rank on the list of world's densest Metro rail corridors

Reasons for congestion at Ghatkopar station

• An abandoned booking office on platform one with new ticket vending machines
• Dilapidated staircase blocking access acts as a hindrance
• Two shops blocking the entrance

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