Public elevators get poor response at CST

The lifts (elevators) installed on footover bridges at the CST station have not evoked much of a response from the commuters. The commuter organisation is now suggesting that escalators with ramps would be a solution to ease the woes of seven million commuters.

The elevators, opened two years ago, had been built to help passengers carrying heavy luggage. The commuters did not use the footover bridge as they found it easier to cross tracks. The Central Railway had decided to install huge elevators that would take passengers onto the bridge directly to solve the problem.
But commuter organisations said that building heavy-duty escalators with ramps would be the solution to the problem.

“There are two kinds of escalators, one with moving staircase and the other with moving ramps. The moving staircase would be disaster in a public place like railway station as many commuters travel daily. The one with moving ramps would be easier for commuters, even those who carry heavy luggage,” said Subhash Gupta,  National Railway Users Consultative Committee.

The railways have already planned escalators at major stations, and sent the proposals to the railway board. The project had, however, been stuck due to shortage of funds. The short-listed stations include Dadar, Thane, Kalyan, Andheri and Borivli. Both the zonal railways have identified locations, prepared basic plan and estimates.