Plans are afoot to convert the mighty edifice into a heritage five star hotel or a museum and beautify its surroundings by removing the adjoining bus depot.
If you can afford it, you may soon be able to stay at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST). Plans are afoot to convert the mighty edifice into a heritage five star hotel or a museum and beautify its surroundings by removing the adjoining bus depot and taxi stand and make a walkway.
The plans are part of the project to transform CST into a world-class station. To this end, the railways are preparing a feasibility report with French consultancy firm Arep Ville.
A Central Railway officer said CST’s beauty had been damaged over time with constructions coming up. “The firm has suggested that we dismantle a few structures, including the parcel and traffic accounts offices on platforms 7 and 8 for remodelling the track layout,” he said. The plan includes constructing a central building to bring under one roof offices scattered across the complex.
Also, “the concourse will be widened and platforms 8 to 18 will be lengthened to halt 24- or 26-coach (long distance) trains”, the officer said. “CST’s area is about 80 acres, of which 20 acres are vacant. This can be exploited on build-operate-transfer basis for constructing commercial complexes, offices, hotels, residential accommodation or even malls.”
Among Arep Ville’s other suggestions are: an over-bridge to connect CST’s eastern and western ends; restricting commuter movement near the DRM office for security reasons; making the area near the DRM office spiffy; and shifting the bus depot to where the garden is. “There will be superior road connectivity with adequate parking space and separate handling facilities for passengers, pedestrians, parcel and luggage,” the officer said. “There will be integrated development with the surrounding city. CST will be an architecturally distinctive gateway to a modern vibrant city.”
The contract was awarded to Arep Ville at a consultancy fee of Rs11 crore in May after international tendering. “Arep Ville had worked on the transformation of Saint-Lazare station in France,” the officer said.
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