Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate 103 redeveloped railway stations across the country to the public on May 22 under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme (ABSS), of which four are in Mumbai. Of the 12 stations to be revamped under the ABSS-the four to be inaugurated by PM are Chinchpokli, Parel, Vadala Road and Matunga. According to the railway officials, these four stations have seen major improvements centred around passenger convenience, integration with the city and sustainability with redevelopment work been done within 15 months. The stations have been redeveloped at an aggregate cost of more than Rs 138 crore. The ABSS launched in December 2022 by the Ministry of Railways aims to transform over 1,300 stations into modern hubs with multimodal integration and future-ready facilities. The foundation stone for these works at different stations was laid between August 2023 and February 2024. Four upgraded stations in Mumbai: Chinchpokli Revamped at a cost of Rs 11.81 crore, the Chinchpokli station now has upgraded platforms, better flooring, a vertical garden, 3D painted compound walls and upgraded entrances of the Foot Over Bridges (FOB). The booking office on the first storey has been refurbished with false ceilings and new flooring. With over 36,000 daily passengers, these upgrades hope to reduce congestion and improve passenger comfort. Parel With more than 47,000 commuters per day, Parel station, an important hub for office-goers both on Central and Western lines, has been upgraded with Rs 19.41 crore. There is a new station building, overhead parking facility and new toilet blocks. It also has a boundary wall, vertical garden, internal roadwork for commuter movement and track side landscaping. The drainage system at Parel has also been revamped and new modern offices for staff with tensile fabric roofs have also been created. Vadala Road Carrying over 1.3 lakh passengers every day, Vadala Road station has seen the largest revamp of Rs 23.02 crore. The makeover at Vadala Road includes platform flooring and cladding, cover over platforms (COP) structure repairs, new toilets and booking office installation. The upgraded entrance gates, better ceilings and painting works on FOBs improve functionality and aesthetics. Matunga India's first all-women managed station, Matunga now boasts better flooring and platform facilities, mainly the handicaps compliant walkways. The Rs 17.28 crore renovation included revamped toilets, upscaled booking offices, a vertical garden and 3D painted compound walls. The structural rehabilitation of wooden arches has been done, and the main entrance cap has been made over to serve more than 37,000 commuters daily, which mainly include students studying in several colleges in the area. Outside Mumbai, 132 stations in Maharashtra are being redeveloped under the scheme, 18 of which will be opened this month at the hands of PM Modi.
