Soon, commuters to get pedestrian subway connecting CSMT-Metro 3

In a significant development, the Maharashtra government has approved an underground pedestrian subway from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) which will connect the metro station.

With this, the Central Railway (CR) commuters using the iconic CSMT will get direct access to the Aqua Line metro station of the underground Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro 3.

The length of this subway, which is going to be built by Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, is 365 meters. It will not only ease the movement of passengers but also provide easy access to two modes of public transit. 

As per the proposed design, the subway will start from platform number 1 of CSMT which will pass under the Himalaya Bridge, take a further route somewhere under Azad Maidan Police Station and end at Azad Maidan Metro Station of Aqua Line where the CSMT metro station is being constructed. It will also pass close to the Times of India building and St Xavier’s College, benefiting office goers and students too.

A CR or Metro 3 passenger will not be able to use this subway unless it would require punching or swiping their access card into the machine for entering the underground subway. An MMRCL spokesperson said, “The state government has approved the underground access-controlled pedestrian subway which we will be constructing. We will check its engineering and technical feasibility. Its cost will be shared by Maharashtra government and Indian Railways.”

As the project is still in its initial stages, MMRCL officials said it would be difficult to give an estimated construction cost, probable date of commencement of work and deadline.

This subway will also have similar travelator as the Mumbai airport. Other features will include lifts, escalators, refreshment sections, toilet blocks etc. However, authorities said access control gates will prevent hawkers and vendors from occupying the floor.

The CSMT Metro station is part of Metro Line 3 Phase 2, which is slated to be inaugurated by mid-2024. The stretch between BKC and Aarey (under Metro Line 3 Phase 1) is expected to be completed by December this year, said the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which is the implementing agency of Metro Line 3.

At present, the CSMT railway station sees over 16 lakh passengers per day. Whereas the underground Metro Line 3 CSMT station is expected to witness over 1.63 lakh passengers by 2025 and over 2 lakhs by 2031.