WR may offer vacant plot to redevelop Bandra Terminus

The Western Railway has decided to put up the sprawling railway colony on the eastern fringe of Bandra Terminus as the vacant space that private firms can commercially develop in exchange for a

Rs 200-crore redevelopment of the terminus into a world-class railway structure. The railway colony, bound by the station road running along the terminus on one side and Jayprakash Road and Pipeline Road on the other, has proven to be a headache for WR's estate department due to the large number of illegal occupants taking up residence in the colony's railway buildings. The estate department, which is the custodian of railway land, and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) have often raided the colony to flush out illegal occupants.

The WR has promised the firm chosen to redevelop Bandra Terminus a space of 42,368 square metres. The chosen firm can use the space commercially to finance the project.

However, railway officials agreed that it could be an uphill task as the colony is surrounded by slums. This apart, the lease period of the lands given out for redevelopment is 45 years, which only makes it suitable for constructing office complexes and other similar buildings. "The fact that we already have Bandra-Kurla Complex nearby means that any firm will think twice before building a standalone commercial hub in the colony. The saleability of a standalone commercial hub could become a problem for a developer," said a railway official.

When asked whether the RLDA plot could cut into the saleability of the Bandra Terminus redevelopment plot, Rajiv Chaudhary, adviser, station development, railway board, replied in the negative.