3 months after tragedy, Elphinstone Road station gets new staircase

A little over three months after 23 people were killed in a stampede on a staircase at the Elphinstone Road station, the Western Railway on Monday opened another staircase next it.

After inviting widespread condemnation following the September 29 mishap, WR started work on the staircase in the first week of November. The pathway has come up on a piece of vacant railway land that was filled with garbage.

The ticket booking counter on the elevated portion, where this staircase starts, too has been demolished. Official sources said the work took a longer time due to the demolition of the ticket window and its proximity to high tension power lines.

Both the staircases connect to the foot over bridge that joins the Elphinstone Road and Parel stations. The new staircase is 3 meters wide and doesn't have barricades on the sides, one of the reasons why commuters could not escape after the crowd swelled on that fateful day.

The extended landing has made extra space available to the commuters. Railways has spent Rs 17 lakh for construction of the landing.

Fatalities apart, 39 people were injured in the stampede occurred on the old narrow Dadar side landing of the FOB, on September 29.

WR is also constructing a new 12-meter FoB to connect Elphinstone Road and Parel stations in addition to an FOB built by the Indian Army on north end of Parel station.

WR is also constructing a new 12-metre-wide FoB to connect Elphinstone Road station with Parel on north of the existing common bridge, in addition to an overpass built by Indian Army on north end of Parel station.