Mumbai: Scaffoldings, hectic activity and several railway workers dot Bandra railway station these days, besides the usual rush of hundreds of commuters at any point of time. In a month, the green, tenacious cloth hiding the repair works will be peeled off to reveal the station’s old glory. Officials said that only finishing touches of the grand restoration project remain.
Bandra station is a Grade 1 heritage structure. Its original plans were designed in London in the 19th century, and it was inaugurated in 1888. Over the years, its magnificence faded, until the railways thought of reviving it. The project’s cost is estimated at Rs12 crore.
An official said, “We plan to hand over the building and its concourse to the local railway authorities by Dec 30, and the ticket counters by Jan 31, 2023.”
The new look constitutes replacing the Mangalore tile roofing and wooden planking with BTC wood and Monnier tiles coated with waterproof membrane and aluminium sheets. Old Kota stone and ceramic floors in rooms, halls and veranda have been replaced with 40mm thick granite slabs. Internal old lime plaster of the heritage structure has been removed and re-plastered with a Plaster of Paris finish.
The wood work has been coated with protective French polish and the stone facade has been freed from nails and other iron items by using special water jet washing. All architectural motifs were repaired with lime plastic repairs, officials said.
The station has new Burma teak doors and windows with melamine polish and brass fittings. The chief booking supervisor’s room has lustre paint, with new electrical cables and panels across the premises.
To give the station a perfect heritage look, old kiosks were removed and six new heritage-look kiosks provided on platforms 2,3,4 and 5.
New LED fixtures to light up the entire roofing is in progress and is likely to complete by Dec 30. Gold gilding work will start from Dec 6 and will be completed by Dec 20. The façade of station master’s cabin will be completed by Dec 15 and the new entrance structure will be finished by Dec 25. Similarly, proper signages will be completed by Dec 29.