To create an approach to the inaccessible Bandra Terminus, Western Railway (WR) built a 314-metre-long skywalk connecting it to Khar suburban station last year. Now, Bandra station and the terminus will be similarly linked. The move will allow hassled passengers to reach the terminus without having to step out of the Bandra station premises, thus avoiding the auto mafia, which lurks outside it.

The skywalk at Bandra station will possibly be the longest one on the line, at around 340 metres. It will link the foot overbridge at the north end of the station to the foot overbridge at the south end of the terminus.The project cost is about Rs 24.62 crore. Commuters have been demanding a connector between the terminus and the station for a while as it is daunting for commuters to reach the latter spot on foot via road.

“Now, with proper railway approach to Bandra Terminus from either side, Khar and Bandra local stations, the question of dead access to Bandra Terminus will end once and for all. In addition to this, the local station at Khar is also being upgraded into a two-deck one, which will allow it to take up the load,” a senior official said. While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is working on the skywalk, which has been stuck in red tape, independently, WR has managed to build a good network of bridges at Bandra station since the BMC skywalk was shut down.

“A railway skywalk from Bandra and Khar local stations would be a big boon for commuters heading to and coming out of Bandra Terminus. It is important that the Railways put up proper and prominent signage at stations to inform commuters about the link, especially at the terminus where commuters who are new to the city turn up. This will prevent commuters from falling prey to the auto mafia,” said Dhirajchand Gala, a commuter.

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