mandar mumbai suburban rail stations and precincts final
TRANSCRIPT
Dissertation
Guidelines for the Redevelopment of Suburban Railway stations and Precincts in Mumbai
Mandar Mallappanavar
Student ID Number 4097515
A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the regulation for the degree of Masters in
the University of Nottingham.
Master of Architecture in Technology, 2010
2
Acknowledgements
Heartily thanks for my dissertation guides Philip Oldfield and David Nicolson to devout their
valuable time and energy in guiding through my dissertation. Nonetheless, sincere thanks to
my friends and family for being always supportive and encouraging.
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Abstract
The suburban train services in Mumbai are the life-line of the buzzing city. Majority of the
people in Mumbai take public transport to reach work. The service is cheap, on time but not
necessarily the most convenient. There is no good alternative to it. It is severely
overburdened and requires sensitive and subjective upgrading along its length and reach.
This dissertation wishes to provide key insights to the present situation and help analyse the
various solutions been thought over before concluding upon what could possibly provide a
better solution towards improvement of the station precincts in a more holistic manner.
Case-studies presented in here will highlight the issues and the possible solutions thought
over in Mumbai and abroad. A comprehensive situation will be put forth to state key
insights which influence the planning of these key precincts to develop healthy
densifications. The importance of framing flexible guidelines for development of stations
and their areas on ground can eventually be very encouraging in having people to continue
depend heavily on public transport rather than shifting onto more unsustainable modes of
private transport in Mumbai, a fast developing city guiding India on a high growth trajectory.
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Table of Contents
List of Figures ............................................................................................................................. 7
List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. 9
1. Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 10
1.1 Mumbai - City of Dreams ................................................................................................... 10
Figure 1-1 Mumbai Metropolitan Region Map Source: (MMRDA, About MMR, 2011) .......... 10
1.1. The Life-Line: Mumbai Local .......................................................................................... 13
1.1.1. History of rail network in Mumbai .............................................................................. 14
1.1.2. Statistics ...................................................................................................................... 16
1.1.3. Major Issues ................................................................................................................ 17
1.2. Aim of the Dissertation .................................................................................................. 20
1.3. Dissertation structure .................................................................................................... 21
2. Urban Transport in Mumbai ............................................................................................... 23
2.1 Transport Policy for Mumbai ............................................................................................. 23
2.2 Public Transport Usage and Future Trends ....................................................................... 27
2.3 Mumbai Case-studies ......................................................................................................... 36
2.3.1 Thane Rail Station ........................................................................................................... 36
2.3.2 Kanjurmarg Railway Station ............................................................................................ 40
3. Urban Transport for World Cities ....................................................................................... 44
3.1. Urban Rail Infrastructure .................................................................................................. 44
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3.2 Case-studies ....................................................................................................................... 46
3.2.1 Stratford Station, London UK .......................................................................................... 46
3.2.2 Kyoto Rail Station, Japan ................................................................................................. 54
3.2.3 Glazenberg Rail Station, Zurich, Switzerland .................................................................. 60
3.2.4 Bangkok Light Rail Stations ............................................................................................. 64
4. Conclusions- Design Guidelines for the Mumbai Rail Stations and Precincts ..................... 69
4.1 Rail Stations ........................................................................................................................ 71
4.1.1 Internal Circulation ......................................................................................................... 71
4.1.2 Congregation of more functions ..................................................................................... 74
4.2 Station Precinct .................................................................................................................. 77
4.2.1 Station as a bridge .......................................................................................................... 79
4.2.2 Forecourts ....................................................................................................................... 80
4.3.3 External Spaces ............................................................................................................... 80
4.3 Sustainability ...................................................................................................................... 82
4.3.1 Densification ................................................................................................................... 82
4.3.2 Renewables ..................................................................................................................... 83
4.4 Summary ............................................................................................................................ 84
Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 86
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List of Figures
Figure 1-1 Mumbai Metropolitan Region Map 9
Figure 1-2 Crowded Mumbai Suburban Trains 11
Figure 1-3 Informal Industry in Mumbai 11
Figure 1-4 Mumbai Suburban Rail Network Map 12
Figure 1-5 Old Churchgate Railway Station, Mumbai 14
Figure 1-6 Dadar Railway Station Area and Kurla Railway Station Area, Mumbai 18
Figure 2-1 Mumbai Metropolitan area and transport corridors 25
Figure 2-2 Distribution of One way Commute Distances 30
Figure 2-3 Upcoming Mumbai Metro lines 32
Figure 2-4 Location of Thane alongside Mumbai 34
Figure 2-5 Skywalk , City Bus Station and Rail Station , Thane 35
Figure 2-6 Location of Kanjurmarg Rail Station, Mumbai 39
Figure 2-7 Kanjurmarg Station Area 40
Figure 2-8 Skywalk at Kanjurmarg Station 41
Figure 3-1 London Rail Network 45
Figure 3-2 Location: Stratford Station 47
Figure 3-3 Master plan for Stratford 48
Figure 3-4 Station's Profile and Exploded view,Stratford 50
Figure 3-5 Interiors of Stratford Station 50
Figure 3-6 Present Stratford Station Area 51
Figure 3-7 Location of Kyoto 53
Figure 3-8
The Building’s South Facade, The Rail Platforms and the Atrium, Kyoto Rail Station 54
Figure 3-9 Observation Deck and the Skywalk, Kyoto rail Station 54
Figure 3-10
North Elevation, South Elevation, Section, Axonometric , Plan, Kyoto rail Station 56
Figure 3-11 Spatial Organisation, Kyoto Rail Station 57
Figure 3-12 Public Transport Lines, Zurich 59
Figure 3-13 Plan, Glazenberg Rail Station 60
Figure 3-14 Section and Elevation, Glazenberg Rail Station 61
Figure 3-15 Location: Bangkok 63
Figure 3-16 Typical Station for the Bangkok Light Rail 64
Figure 3-17 Artist impression: Bangkok Light Rail 64
Figure 3-18 Section through the Central Station, Bangkok light Rail 66
Figure 4-1
Mumbai Stations: Office blocks above Vashi Station, Iconic Turbhe Station, Motorbike parking at Thane Station, Car parking on the roof of Khargar Station and Elevated bus station outside Thane Station 68
Figure 4-2 Various ticketing options, Mumbai Suburban rail 71
Figure 4-3 Typical Circulation patterns for Mumbai Rail Stations 72
Figure 4-4 Proposed Circulation pattern for Mumbai Suburban Rail Stations 75
Figure 4-5 Vashi Rail Station, Mumbai and Kyoto Rail Station 74
Figure 4-6 London Bridge Station and Canary Wharf Station 77
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Figure 4-7 Croydon Station, London 78
Figure 4-8 Planning of station forecourts 81
Figure 4-9 PV imbedded canopy outside the Woking Rail Station, London 82
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List of Tables
Table 1-1 Spatial Distributions in Mumbai Metropolitan Region 10
Table 1-2 Major Urban Rail Networks 15
Table 2-1 Population in Mumbai Metropolitan Region 24
Table 2-2 Household Characteristics by Income groups, Mumbai 29
Table 2-3
Percentage distribution of Housing units across the zones, by income levels, Mumbai 29
Table 2-4
No.of commuters using the south bound services during morning rush hours on Western (left) and Central Railways, Mumbai 30
Table 2-5
Percentage Distribution of Workers across Job Locations by Zone of Residence, Mumbai 31
Table 2-6
Mean one way commute distance by Zone and Income levels, Mumbai 31
Table 2-7 Commutes by different modes for different purposes, Mumbai 33
Table 2-8 SWOT analysis, Thane Station and its Precinct. 38
Table 2-9 SWOT Analysis, Kanjurmarg Station 42
Table 3-1 Components of rail network, London 46
Table 3-2 SWOT Analysis, Stratford Station 52
Table 3-3 SWOT Analysis, Kyoto Railway Station 57
Table 3-4 SWOT Analysis, Glazenberg Railway Station 62
Table 3-5 Train transport in Bangkok 63
Table 3-6 SWOT Analysis, Bangkok Light Rail Stations 67
Table 4-1 Station Types in Mumbai 80
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1. Introduction
1.1 Mumbai - City of Dreams
Figure 1-1 Mumbai Metropolitan Region Map Source: (MMRDA, About MMR,
2011)
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Mumbai is often considered as the financial capital of India. It is also the most progressive of
all Indian cities, housing approximately 18.9 (MMRDA, About MMR, 2003) million people
across its metropolitan area. The city gained increasing amount of importance due to its
sea-port which led to the foundation of various industries, primarily textile mills. It soon
became the biggest trading hub in the Indian sub-continent and in 1875; Asia’s first stock
exchange was established in the city (BSE, 2011). Although the city may be considered the
richest in India but 38% of its population lives in sub-standard informal housing because the
developable land has been always very scarce and has led to very dense conurbations.
Mumbai’s Metropolitan Region covers an area of 4355 sq.km under 7 Municipal
Corporations having their own mayors. There are several villages and lesser towns in the
region too. (MMRDA, About MMR, 2003)
Table 1-1. Spatial Distributions in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Source: (MMRDA, About MMR, 2011)
The reasons which attract people from the rest of India to Mumbai are many. The most
notable ones are:
1. Mumbai’s informal sector accounts for 68% of the total employment where the
unskilled migrants earn bare minimum wages while continuing to live in Mumbai’s
several slums (Srivastava, 2005).
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2. Public transport comprising of suburban rail and buses which serves 86% of its urban
population as it is one of the cheapest way to commute within the city (Larkin,
2006).
Mumbai primarily is dependent on its public transport and its ambitious, under-privileged,
restless populace know best to make a living by risking it while making the most of the
available resources which the overwhelming city is believed to offer. May it be electricity,
water, transport, employment and housing (MMRDA, About MMR, 2003)!
Figure 1.2. Mumbai’s Informal Sector Source: www.flickr.com/photos/pukarmumbai/collections
Figure 1-3. Informal Industry in Mumbai Source: multipple
Figure 1-2 Crowded Mumbai Suburban Trains Source: Multiple
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1.1. The Life-Line: Mumbai Local
In Mumbai, millions of aspirations are kept afloat and it is largely possible because of the
public transport. Mumbai’s Suburban rail services are extensively used and the roads
leading to the rail stations bustle with much activities. The present land mass is built by
reclaiming low lying lands and upon which is built a dense city which houses all classes of
the society and offers them means of livelihood.
Figure 1-4. Mumbai Suburban Rail Network Map Source: Author
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The system is fed mainly by Suburban rail and buses. These services are cheap and are most
preferred by the middle income groups (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005). The
amount of activities which revolve around the nodes of public transport can be best
understood in this city.
Suburban rail services are also called the ‘local trains’. They serve the entire length of the
island city and the metropolitan areas beyond. It plays a pivotal role in providing mass rapid
transport quite efficiently and all inclusively. These rail services are wide spread, extensively
used, fairly punctual, and very economical and rightfully act as lifelines for the city of
Mumbai. It also extends its services for transporting goods such as vegetables, fish and
other commodities. The scope of railways in connecting the entire length of the city was
always been prioritised and kept in mind while developing the satellite townships around
the Island. Dombivli, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Mira Road, Bhayander are such satellite towns and
they depend primarily on the local trains. Similarly, the new satellite township and the
world’s biggest planned city ‘Navi Mumbai’ was also well augmented within the current rail
network.
1.1.1. History of rail network in Mumbai
Indian railways history dates back to the middle of 19th century. The first ever train,
chugged into the World’s east and it ran the stretch between Mumbai and Thane. This 21
miles stretch now is only a small part of the several other busiest train routes in India and
falls under the Central Railway’s zone, a public enterprise (TIFR, 1997).
Trains as a mode of transport was primarily thought over for ease of transporting goods
during the British Raj. The city of Mumbai was fast gaining importance due to its port. The
opening of Suez Canal added greater importance to the Mumbai port. The Bombay Baroda
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and Central Indian Railway
Company was founded in
the year 1855 to undertake
the laying of tracks along
the west coast and reach
to Surat, a city which had
become important for its
textile mills. It took
another 12 years for the
same company to commence the first suburban train services between Virar, a far off
suburb and a station near to the Mumbai port. The first rail line between Mumbai and
Thane was further extended to Pune over the western mountain ranges by the year 1863.
These two lines run in the north-south direction, one along the west coast and the other
along the east coast of the Island city. The line serving the west coast of Mumbai was
extended till New Delhi and is currently called the Western Railway. Whereas the line which
was built till Thane and later extended to Pune was consequently joined to serve the rest of
India. This line later became part of the biggest and busiest rail zone in India, i.e. the Central
Railway Zone. The early 20th century saw the growth of textile mills in Mumbai and sooner
was the harbour line laid in 1925. It connected the east of the city to the west while passing
across the several textile mills and warehouses and ultimately to the port in the east. The
electrification of these three lines soon followed up. The two main lines, the central line and
western line services were upgraded and extended much beyond the island city and the
harbour line connecting east and west coast was further extended to feed the suburbs of
New Mumbai (TIFR, 1997).
Figure 1-5. Old Churchgate Railway Station, Mumbai Source: Indian Memory Project Blog
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1.1.2. Statistics
Currently, the suburban network stretches far up to the north and east in the mainland
towards other two major cities of Maharashtra, Pune and Nashik. Mumbai suburban rail
services are managed by Mumbai Rail Vikas (Development) Corporation, established under
Indian Railways. This unit only overlooks the rail operations and projects sanctioned by the
central government and have no autonomy to raise funds for upgrading and building new
lines on its own and it is only recently been mooted to give more autonomy to the suburban
railway units in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkatta (Aklekar, 2009).
Following is a quick comparison of the MRT systems across the world’s major cities:
Table 1-2. Major Urban Rail Networks Source: Multiple
Parameters Tokyo Mumbai New York Shanghai London
Population in
Millions
35.20 21.25 20.61 18.40 8.58
Area in sq.km 8677 4355 11264 2914 1623
Density per
sq.km
4100 4880 1800 6300 5100
Rail Lines 13 3 24 11 21
System
Length
328.8 450 337 424.8 550
Stations 282 120 468 273 427
Ridership 8.7 6.95 5.09 7.09 3.5
The above table indicates that although the population in London is least amongst all the
cities, it has much system length which translates that the public transport system is very
equipped and at the same time the least number of stations in Mumbai hint that most its
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population stays away from the stations and the city needs more rail corridors to weave
through its metropolitan area.
1.1.3. Major Issues
Network - Mumbai suburban rail services are crumbling under much commuter loads. This
has made the train travel increasingly inconvenient and unsafe. The reason for such
overcrowding is primarily due to the way the network is laid. The two main lines which carry
most number of people runs along the north and south direction because the southern tip is
where the CBD is located and the suburban area in north is where most people prefer to
live. The journeys during the peak hours are hence insanely crowded. The average capacity
of a 9 car train is 1980 but it ends up carrying up to 4365 people during the rush hour, that is
more than twice the train’s capacity (Costa, 2011). There are many casualties recorded due
to people falling off the trains during the morning and evening rush hours. The causalities
reported from 2008-10 stands at a staggering figure of 1974 (Natu, 2011).
The network is heavily burdened because there are no alternative modes of public transport
to cover such long distances. The rail network although runs into 450 km, it barely overlaps
itself cause most of the interchange stations are located on the parallel running lines and
not the lines which would take the commuters onto the major rail lines. The Western and
Central Rail lines are the major ones and there are only two interchange stations on them
i.e. Elphinstone Road and Dadar.
There are several projects been announced to strengthen the existing rail lines i.e. adding
more pairs of tracks on busy routes, running more services and longer trains but these
projects are taking too long to get commissioned and when they do get completed their
effect seems to be negligible (Costa, 2011).
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Rail Station Areas - The suburban rail being the only mode of transport to offer mobility
from the north to southern tip, the stations in the suburbs are experiencing some major
circulation issues due overcrowding and assemblage of much informal activity within the
station areas. The station buildings at major stations are finding it increasingly difficult to
cope with increasing number of commuters. The rail bridges are narrow and few to help
commuters enter and exit the platforms (Bhagat, 2011). More deaths are reported near the
station areas as many commuters are run over by trains as they cross the tracks and not use
these crowded foot-over bridges or subways to reach their platforms. Some 20,700 deaths
were reported during 2003-2007 (Narayan, 2008).
The station areas outside the station building are experiencing acute problems of
congestion due to poor intermodal connections. Most these stations have no space for bus
stations. Buses also have to fight the narrow roads with cabs and rickshaws. These station
areas have no public sidewalks and in case they are there they are too narrow and usually
occupied by hawkers. The areas also have mostly dilapidated built environments
surrounding them and most being old, their ownership rights are sketchy and hence to bring
them and rehabilitate people and businesses is a challenge.
Figure 1-6. Dadar Railway Station Area (Left) and Kurla Railway Station Area (Right),Mumbai Source: Google Earth
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In the figure 1-6, on the left hand side is the Dadar station. It is the only interchange on the
major Central and Western line and undoubtedly the busiest but it has no bus stand outside
its station building. Same is the case with the Kurla station (Right), another busy interchange
station. Both these stations have dense built environments around them and the traffic
situation is gruesome. The foot-over bridges are not wide enough and open into areas
intruded by informal vendors, leaving little room for safe pedestrian movement. The
situation is very similar at most other old station areas on the Mumbai suburban rail
network and needs some major decongestion and effective management of traffic.
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1.2. Aim of the Dissertation
This dissertation will try to highlight the major issues faced by the rail transport in Mumbai
and state reasons for it. It would then try to propose a frame work to set up a set of
guidelines for the design and management some key station areas in Mumbai Metropolitan
area by analysing them through series of photo-mapping and carrying out general
commuter surveys. Various books, journals, manuals and online pdfs related to rail
networks, their station design and management have been referred to derive some key
guidelines, specific to the improvement of rail Stations and their precincts especially to suit
the situation prevalent in Mumbai.
Following are some research questions the dissertation would try to answer:
What are the major criticisms of the suburban rail services in Mumbai?
What is the state of built environment in and around the rail stations in Mumbai?
What can be done to overcome these architectural and planning issues?
Can a set of guidelines be followed for achieving better built environments in and around
the suburban rail stations in Mumbai?
In order to investigate that, case-studies of a few rail stations in Mumbai and one from the
cities of London, Zurich and Kyoto are being undertaken to help draw some parallels to
propose the guidelines.
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1.3. Dissertation structure
To be able to propose a set of guidelines for the effective management of the Suburban Rail
stations in Mumbai, herewith is the dissertation structure to give its brief idea:
Chapter 1: Importance of Suburban rail Network in the city of Mumbai.
This chapter primarily introduces the Suburban rail network and its becoming the backbone
of Mumbai’s Public transport system. Its history of the services and its future up-gradation
plans are discussed. The chapter then depicts the current situation and highlights the
various criticisms for the rail network.
Chapter 2: Urban Transport in Mumbai
The transport policy framed for city of Mumbai is discussed and is mentioned how it is been
implemented so far. It lays it emphasis on whether the policy initiated for the service’s up-
gradation has been able to live upto its expectations and is able to cater the demands of a
rising population and the growing urban sprawl. This has been put to explanation by having
to present case-studies of the stations on the old and newly built corridors.
Chapter 3: Urban Transport for world Cities
This chapter will put forward the context of some major and minor stations across the world
for example London’s Stratford Station, the Kyoto Railway station, Bangkok’s Light rail
system designed by London based ‘BDP architects’ and a suburban station in Zurich. The
context of these stations would be duly drawn to solve some architectural and planning
issues witnessed in Mumbai.
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Chapter 4: Conclusions, Guidelines towards responsive planning and management of the rail
stations in Mumbai.
The concluding chapter will propose a set of guidelines or a framework to facilitate better
management of the station areas which will ultimately encourage greater dependency on
the suburban rail systems and at the same time promote sustainable development in the
city of Mumbai along its suburban rail corridors. The guidelines would also cater to the
development of the upcoming as well as the existing rail station precincts in Mumbai.
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2. Urban Transport in Mumbai
2.1 Transport Policy for Mumbai
The Greater Mumbai region is spread across 468 sq. Km and is home to 11.9 million people
(MMRDA, About MMR, 2003). It indicates of a very high population density. The density is
much higher due to the location of a 104sq.km protected wildlife park which actually acts as
natural boundary between the western and central suburbs. In addition to this much of the
eastern coast of Mumbai is land locked due to the location of the Mumbai port. An area of
prime value, measuring 7.25sq.km is under the port trust. In addition to this during the
1980s, the textile mills which were the major employers for people in Mumbai were shut
and were sitting on 2.5sq.km of land (SGNP, 2007) (Sonawane, 2007) (BBC , 2006). This
leaves the island city of Mumbai with mere 359.25 sq.km of land which results on an
average density of 33125 people/ sq. Km. It is the most crowded city in the world (City
Mayors, 2007).
It is the location and topography of the land which has made it difficult for the city to grow
physically as the Arabian Sea surrounds it on three sides and a creek which separates the
land mass from the mainland in the north.
The city was developed into 6 zones and later into numerous wards for administrative
purposes as follows (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005) (See figure 2.1 and Table
2.1):
Zone 1- It is the old business district and is located at the southern tip and consists mainly of
offices.
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Zone 2 – It was the manufacturing hub during the most of 20th century with its numerous
textile mills and also had much of the small housing units to accommodate the textile mill
workers.
Zone 3 – It was later developed to serve as commercial and employment centre by setting
up various industrial estates and belts. The zone has a major residential housing stock
provided by the public government bodies and private property developers.
Zone 4-6 – They were later added to accommodate rising population of Mumbai and some
heavy engineering but largely non-polluting industries were set up alongside residential
areas.
The linear networks of Public owned Central Railway and Western Railway connect all these
zones are extend much further beyond the satellite townships of Mira Road, Bhayander
(Western), Thane, Kalyan, Dombivli and Ulhasnagar (Central Line) and New Mumbai
(Harbour line, a part of Central Railway). The harbour line is the only line which offers
limited east to west connectivity but mostly runs along the linear north-south direction
before turning east to cross over wider creek onto the main land. Apart from the rail lines
there are 4 arterial roads, again running linear which connects the greater Mumbai region.
The east-west connections are yet to be widened.
From the above table it can be seen that the change in population between the years, 1991
and 2001 for the dense island of Mumbai was not more than 14.38%. Whereas the
population in the other major urban areas of the Mumbai’s Metropolitan areas grew by
almost 90% with New Mumbai recording highest rise in population.
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Table 2-1 Population in Mumbai Metropolitan Region Source: Multiple
Zone
Ward
Area Land
(sq.km
)
Populati
on (1981)
Density
(/sq.km)
Populati
on (1991)
Densit
y(/sq.k
m)
Change
(%)
Populati
on (2001)
Density
(/sq.km)
Change
(%)
1 A Colaba 12.8 168288 13148 194844 15226 15.8 210847 16472 8.2
1 B Sandhurst
Road
2.5 147313 58925 117722 47089 -20.1 140633 56253 19.5
1 C Marine Lines 1.8 270706 15039 197288 109604 -27.1 202922 112734 2.9
1 D Grant Road 6.6 445391 67484 401548 60841 -9.8 382841 58006 -4.7
1 E Byculla 7.4 455711 61583 410824 55517 -9.9 440355 59507 7.2
2 F Parel &
Matunga
27 814706 30174 847823 31401 4.1 920515 34093 8.6
2 G Dadar &
Elphinston
19.1 982988 51465 959800 50251 -2.4 1039938 54447 8.4
3 H Santacruz &
Bandra
25.1 706837 28161 798722 31822 13 918226 36583 15
3 K Andheri 48.2 925685 19205 1242683 25906 34.9 1510682 31342 21
4 P Goregaon &
Malad
36.9 663742 17988 928693 25168 39.9 1234624 33459 32.9
4 R Kandivli &
Borivli
68 561919 8264 977881 14381 74 876884 12895 -10.3
5 L Kurla 15.9 433913 27290 616592 38780 42.1 778218 48945 26.2
5 M Chembur 52 565760 10880 822916 15825 45.5 1088890 20940 32.3
6 N Ghatkopar 26 599436 23055 507329 19513 -15.4 619556 23829 22.1
6 S Bhandup 64 297108 4642 568028 8875 91.2 691227 10800 21.7
6 T Mulund 45.4 203899 4491 288158 6347 41.3 330195 7273 14.6
Average 14.38%
Thane 128.23 474366 3699 803389 6265 69.4 1261517 9838 57
Kalyan &
Dombivli
137.15 578353 4217 820089 5980 41.8 1193266 8700 45.5
Mira Road &
Bhayander
88.75 0 0 175605 3588 0 520301 7931 121.1
New Mumbai 163 0 0 318447 1077 0 703947 3192 196.3
Ulhasnagar 27.54 273668 13401 369077 13401 34.9 472343 17172 28.2
Average 89.62
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Figure 2-1 Mumbai Metropolitan area and transport corridors Source: Multiple
27
Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has majorly been a residential area and most
industries and offices have established themselves in the Island cities and only lately they
are setting up in the fringes of the island and closer to the mainland metropolitan areas.
MMR is constituted of 7Major Municipal Corporations which are as follows:
1. Greater Mumbai
2. Thane
3. Kalyan-Dombivli
4. New Mumbai
5. Ulhasnagar
6. Mira-Bhayander
7. Bhivandi- Nizampur
These Municipal areas are primarily connected by the suburban rail network except
Bhiwandi – Nizampur area. New Mumbai is the latest satellite township which currently has
the least population density because of the various developmental restrictions. The area is
undergoing major developments and the dynamics is all set to change by the construction of
a New International Airport and various commercial and work clusters alongside residential
complexes.
2.2 Public Transport Usage and Future Trends
Although in a booming city of Mumbai it is not to be forgotten that its caters largely to the
people who have migrated to it for availing best of opportunities the city delivers to enable
them to secure a better livelihood. It hence becomes important to analyse the migration
patterns to a city like Mumbai so as to accommodate the influx of people and more
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importantly provide them with means to livelihood. The transport facilities can likely enable
the less privileged ones to avail affordable living conditions in areas beyond the city fringes
and the case of Mumbai is befitting this scenario. It is also certain that this leads to longer
commutes and ultimately incurs higher costs to provide transport systems and avail them
(UNHABITAT, 2003). However, the public transport can be subsidised to target the lower
income groups and to ascertain that it becomes increasingly important to map the dynamic
patterns of transport modes for their usage availed by different classes of people in a
particular society. Unfortunately such patterns are yet to be established (Godard & Olvera,
2000). There is little to be doubted upon the less privileged ones would want to spend the
least on travelling and would prefer to walk most distances for availing his/her needs of
housing and livelihood.
Following are some key evidences for the spatial distribution found around the transport
nodes in Mumbai (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005):
In most areas it is found that the lower income groups live in close proximity to areas
habited by middle class and rich people but it is also found that more lower income
groups live in eastern suburbs although the area has limited access to modes of
public transport and employment opportunities.
The lower income groups commute shorter distances and prefer to live closer to
their place of work as the fares account for a larger portion of their marginal
incomes.
The areas farther away from the train stations are preferred by lower income groups
to avail for their housing needs because of the higher land prices near the train
stations.
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The lower income groups increasingly prefer walking or cycling to commute for their
work and other needs. The poor accounted for sixty six percentages of journeys
made by walking and cycling whereas only a quarter of percent journeys were made
using these two modes by the middle and higher income groups in Mumbai.
The poor accounted for 17% of all train journeys and 19% of all bus journeys made in
Mumbai.
In order to formulate a comprehensive transport policy various feasibility reports were
made and it was felt that a thorough survey be carried out of the public transport users in
the city of Mumbai to be specific as it was the densest area in the whole metropolitan.
World Bank presented in one of its report how a particular class of society in Mumbai makes
use of the public transport. The outcome of this report must have helped framing of a
transport policy for the city. The report has categorised the population depending upon
their income levels. The findings of the report are discussed under with the help various
tables. The table no. 2-2 indicates the majority of people live Squatter settlements or
Chawls where the unit sizes are very small and has led to some very dense settlements.
Such dense areas cause major hurdles for their redevelopment because to accommodate
such high densities and ensure better living standards for them is only possible in high-rise
buildings which can quite expensive to build and maintain.
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.
Following is the table which highlights the number of households in various zones of
Mumbai depending upon their income levels and it can be seen that the zone three houses
people belonging to all income levels quite equally.
Table 2-3 - Percentage distribution of Housing units across the zones, by income levels, Mumbai Source: (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005).
In the later figure 2-2, is a chart showing most earning members of a family are commuting
only between 1-2kms in one direction and on an average most earning members travel only
5.3kms in one way which can be considered quite healthy for any city but this chart may
simply contradict the amount of load the train services cater when they carry 6.7 million
people every day on linear routes panning across several kilometres (MRVC, 2010). It can
Table 2-2 Household Characteristics by Income groups, Mumbai Source: (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005)
31
only be judged that most people living in the
satellite townships are depending on suburban
trains for their commute to work. The table 2-4
simply confirms that most people using the
trains stay in places beyond the greater Mumbai
district. In the table the black line indicates the
places above the line are out of Greater
Mumbai District.
Figure 2-2 Distribution of One way Commute Distances. Source (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005)
Table 2-4 No.of commuters using the south bound services during morning rush hours on Western (left) and Central Railways. Source: (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005)
32
In table 2-5, it can be seen that there are very few places of work in zone 4 and 6, zones
which are at the district’s fringes and hence it can be justified that more people living in
these zones are required to commute to places far away from their homes.
Consecutively it can be seen in the table 2-6 that the higher income groups are found to be
taking longer commutes for the reason that they avail themselves better housing stocks
which are much bigger and can only be afforded in the areas away from the traditional
business districts.
This trend highlights that the higher income groups who are required to spend longer times
for their commutes to work prefer the express trains which takes very few stops at only key
Table 2-5 Percentage Distribution of Workers across Job Locations by Zone of Residence Source: (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005)
Table 2-6 Mean one way commute distance by Zone and Income levels Source: (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005)
33
stations. Important lessons can be learnt from these figures is that if more faster express
trains are made to run during peak hours then it may result in much less overcrowding of
trains and it also hints that in such a scenario a metro train, BRTS, trams may prove helpful
only if they run along the width of the city unlike the present rail corridors. Fortunately, the
new metro corridors are being planned to provide such west to east connectivity.
In addition to this another pair of tracks are being built parallel to the existing two pairs of
suburban rail tracks to be able to dedicate two pair of tracks solely for suburban traffic
(MRVC, 2010). However the biggest challenge for the laying of parallel tracks in zone 2 and
later into zone 1 is that there is hardly any space.
Figure 2-3 Upcoming Mumbai Metro lines Source: MMRDA
34
However, it is also to be noted that there are various other reasons which requires people
to travel apart from work and the following table highlights that. It can be seen that trains
commutes are frequent for carrying out other activities such as reaching for schools/
colleges, meeting friends, relatives or colleagues working and staying elsewhere.
In order to fulfil other activities, the station areas can play an important role in delivering
some of the functions stated in the above table. Unfortunately, major shopping areas are in
locations away from the main station areas. For e.g the Inorbit Mall, Phoenix Mall, Thakur
Mall, Nirmal Lifestyle Mall, R Mall who with their big car-parks cater the high income groups
who prefer to take their own vehicles, taxis or rickshaws to reach them. The station
buildings in Mumbai are run by Indian Railways, a national company and not by a local
transport authority similar to ‘Transport of London’. This makes it difficult to carry out
station redevelopment projects in a comprehensive way. The built environment around the
station building too remains old and with sketchy ownerships, coupled with height-
restrictions and limited use of FARs (as low as 1.33) available in the suburbs, the commercial
exploitation of the station precincts is very limited (Phatak, 2000) (Bertaud & Brueckner,
Table 2-7 Commutes by different modes for different purposes, Mumbai Source: (Baker, Basu, Cropper, Lall, & Takeuchi, 2005)
35
2004) (Bertaud, 2004). From the above tables it can also be noted that the present public
transport system is failing to attract the poorer sections of the society and is instead
becoming a cause for urban sprawl because the existing rail corridors are being extended
much in the metropolitan areas. For. e.g. the rising demand for suburban services on the
western line from the satellite townships in the far north (Deshmane, 2010).
Hence in order to achieve equity amongst masses of the people, integration of the available
transport systems is needed. Investing in more feasible modes of transport such as light rail,
trams, and buses and largely by augmenting the available modes of mass rapid transport
such as the Mumbai’s suburban rail network, should be preferred. The suburban rail system
needs a good alternative and systems such as elevated and underground metro, monorails
can come to much rescue. Their loops within the Greater Mumbai District can ensure much
increase in the value of overall land area and open-up new avenues for the development of
areas which were served inadequately by transport linkages and also push the way for
gentrification of some old and derelict areas of the city. The increase in land values and their
subsequent usage for creating better built environments can ensure the cycle of growth to
seek much momentum and result in achieving more sustainable growth targets. Following
are case-studies of two rail stations on the Mumbai Suburban Train network which are
witnessing much redevelopment.
36
2.3 Mumbai Case-studies
2.3.1 Thane Rail Station
Thane is the most populous satellite city just of
Mumbai. The city has an area of 147 sq.kms and its
population is 1.26 million (Census 2001) and is part of
the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The city is under
the jurisdiction of Thane Municipal Corporation and
has its own Mayor. The city lies just north to the edge
of Greater Mumbai. It has witnessed major urban
sprawl in the last 20 years as major roads were built
in areas away from the station. The Ghodbunder road
is one such road (white line in the above figure) which
connects the city to Borivli, the
western suburb of greater
Mumbai Island and major
residential complexes have been
built on either sides of this road.
These areas are quite far away
from any suburban railway
stations in the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region.
Figure 2-4 Location of Thane alongside Mumbai Source: Google Earth
Figure 2-5 Thane Station and it precinct Source: Google Earth
Greater Mumbai
Borivli
37
The station is an interchange for the Main Central line and the Harbour line. The station also
caters to the inter-city train services and is considered to be one of the most important
stations in the metropolitan area. The station contains 10 platforms. There are two foot
over bridges to connect these platforms.
The station also offers 2 intra-city bus stations and one inter-city bus terminus. These bus
stations are easily accessed from the rail station. Recently, the area on the north of the
station was redeveloped to link the intra-city bus station at an elevated level next to the
station building. The commuters exiting out of the stations from the foot over bridges can
directly access this bus station. This required major ramps to be built to guide the bus
traffic. The ramps built are only for the city buses.
The streets leading to the station are also been provided with skywalks which help
commuters to access the station with ease while avoiding the chaotic situations on the
ground level.
Within the station building, the 10 platforms are currently served by mere 2 foot bridges
which were constructed decades ago and are not sufficient to handle the crowds. Many
Figure 2-6 Skywalk (Left), City Bus Station (Middle) and Rail Station (Right), Thane Source: Author
38
people have met fatal accidents while crossing the railway tracks. The trains are becoming
longer and are carrying more passengers but the number of foot bridges has remained
same. The prospects of providing an underpass at the same points where these bridges
originate and terminate can solve the overcrowding at these entry and exit points.
Outside the station building, the elevated deck built to make space for the bus station is not
covered and can cause much inconvenience during the monsoons. The island bays for the
buses are difficult to access and can cause accidents. The whole idea of an elevated bus
station could have been avoided by better regulation of traffic on the ground level. Also,
once it was decided to build the elevated bus station, the air rights could have been used to
build a multi level shopping complex adding more vitality to the station. Although the traffic
situation has improved considerably but the time it took to construct this elevated deck did
greatly inconvenience the commuters. The built environment around the station area is old
and makes the already congested station area unpleasant.
The long skywalks provide very few access points from the ground level and hence are
found to be used by very few people even during the peak hours because provision of the
city bus station right outside the train station doesn’t require the commuters to use the
skywalk.
The station area has very few residential buildings apart from the railway-employees
apartments which further west to the platforms on the north side. Most of the buildings
house small shops, restaurants and businesses. The vegetable market is also not within the
walkable distance from the station. There is a cinema hall in the vicinity of the station but is
old and doesn’t screen popular or critically acclaimed movies. The lake as you can see in the
39
in the station area is also not used for any recreational purposes. In all there are no major
amenities within the Station area apart from bus stations.
The station is a starting point for many suburban train services on both the lines and caters
to huge crowds throughout the day. The city with a million plus population depends heavily
on just one station. Provision of convenient access points to the station building with wider
foot bridges, underpasses for pedestrian movements is very important. Creating more
facilities such as shopping malls, open air markets, theatres and open spaces at the ends of
the skywalks can lead to major regeneration of the area. Also most buildings in the area are
mid rises and are smaller floor-plates. They can all be integrated together creating more
open spaces around the station. The scope of a building similar to the Kyoto railway station
(discussed in the next chapter) can add much value to the station and make the area more
attractive.
Table 2-8 SWOT analysis of the Thane Station and its Precinct Source: Author
Strenghts The elevated deck for the bus station has greatly reduced traffic
congestion.
Weaknesses The foot-over-bridges are too narrow to be able to cater 10 platforms.
The station precinct is surrounded by low-rise buildings of smaller floor
plates and adds congestion to the area.
Opportunities The interchange station can make use of the air-space and accommodate
more functions there and pave the way for decongestion of the station
area.
Threats The Population is bound to increase alot and in that case the station
would buckle under rising passenger loads.
40
2.3.2 Kanjurmarg Railway Station
Kanjurmarg is a small suburb on the eastern shore of Greater Mumbai. It is served by a very
small railway station served by the Major Central Line. The station area is witnessing major
development because of the strengthening of a road-link between eastern and western
Suburbs.
The station has one Island platform and caters the slow trains on either side of it. The access
to this station is quite inconvenient and has foot-over-bridges on the south and north ends
of the 300m long platform.
Figure 2-7 Location of Kanjurmarg Rail Station, Mumbai Source: Multiple
41
The station area is witnessing a very mixed-use development on a scale which the station is
not equipped to handle. The access points to the station from these new developments are
not well defined and often require the people to take winding pedestrian routes or to
dangerously cross the tracks at various locations along the length of the platform.
In the figure to the left it can be seen
that the area is predominantly
residential (blue). The ones closer to
the station (white dotted) are social
housing and are very recent
constructions. They are being built to
rehabilitate the informal housing units
(Blue dotted) and make way for the
new commercial developments
(Yellow). These new commercial
buildings are high-rise and many of
these are being built near the station
areas across all the central line stations in greater Mumbai. The most worrying factor about
these commercial developments is that they are provided with mega car-parking bays and
their accesses for pedestrians from the station buildings are not being well defined. These
new office blocks seem that their locations in the suburban areas would let the staff use
more private transport to drive down to them from many new residential developments
taking place in the vicinity. There seems to be little logic for these office blocks to provide
Figure 2-8 Kanjurmarg Station Area Source: Google Earth
42
multiple levels of car-park. It is believed that these new constructions are taking place due
to the much widening and strengthening of the east-west link roads (orange dotted in the
previous figure) providing rare east-west connectivity across the width of the city in a linear
Mumbai city where most roads happen to run in the north-south direction. The green areas
highlighted areas in the previous figure are the locations of retail buildings. The one closer
to the station is a shopping mall and the one near the east-west link bridge is a 5-star hotel
(See figure below). Although the shopping mall which also houses a Cineplex, adds value to
the station area but the location of the new high-end hotel building at a busy traffic junction
seems to be out of place. There seems to be no co-ordinated development of this station
area and unfortunately this situation is being seen replicated in many other station precincts
of Mumbai where previously stood the big industrial units (dotted red in the previous figure)
surrounded by informal housing units.
The station access roads (shaded white in fig. 2-8) are too narrow and although there is a
small bus station at the access road in the north, it is barely wide enough to cater the recent
developments coming up alongside them. The situation is very similar to many other
stations in Mumbai, where buses, taxis, rickshaws all have to fight for space and the
pedestrians have to find their way
amongst them because most
pavements are taken over the
hawkers.
The developments of pedestrian access
routes to the station area are being
recently chalked out but due to their Figure 2-9 Skywalk at Kanjurmarg Station. Source: Multiple
43
inconvenient alignments, very few people are using them. Several skywalks are being built
all over the city without mapping the pedestrian routes or physically linking them with
functions, such as markets, public buildings or private office buildings (Schlaikjer, 2010).
Table 2-9 SWOT Analysis of Kanjurmarg Station Source: Author
Strengths The station is located at a very strategic road junction.
A very mixed-use development is taking place around it.
Weaknesses The station access points are poorly planned.
The station seems to be not integrated within scope of developments
taking place around it.
Opportunities There is still more land available and it just requires strengthening the
access points to make the station area.
The station building if revamped can become the focal point to the new
developments taking place around it.
Threats The concept of building skywalks can rob the street culture.
44
3. Urban Transport for World Cities
3.1. Urban Rail Infrastructure
In Europe, most major cities are taking up redevelopment of their transport nodes, housing
stock to remain competitive and the city authorities have been working on it by seeking
more powers to finance and execute these redevelopment schemes on their own (Kreukels
& Spit, 1990) (Parkinson, Bianchini, Dawson, & Harding, 1991). These initiatives can be
justified due to combination of factors where policies want to lay an emphasis on more
environment friendly transport services and achieve efficient management of the land
resource for regeneration of local economies. The importance of infrastructure investments
has gathered much prominence. The property market can well be advantaged from effective
management of the transport corridors and its nodes but in Mumbai, the old transport
nodes are not been given its due importance. The development occurring around them is
very sporadic and often not planned in a comprehensive way. The example of Kanjurmarg
station explained in the previous chapter confirms that.
It is not to be forgotten that surface transport can assist its users in many ways. It not only
carries them from one place to another but helps to orient them to the urban fabric of the
whole city. The availability of credible and a very sustainable mode of mass transport is very
essential for any dense megacities of the world. Some 40% rail passengers, who arrive in
London, also use the underground (Bayliss, 2008). In Netherlands, 52% of all train
commuters cycle to their stations and 22% come walking (VROM, 1992). Urban rail systems
can set a new dimension to the city functions. Its availability can be of great advantage to its
users and the city in general. It hence becomes imperative that such a system must remain
in good shape and continue to offer better standards of mobility. The trains, the tracks they
45
run on and the stations they halt at are all required to act in symphony and re-equip
themselves to suit their users. The numerous stations have the ability to renew their
surrounding areas by augmenting various functions and assure a more sustainable
development. The design of these stations needs to deliver a wider social and economic
role. Its location and layout needs to adapt and assimilate into the urban layout for the
adjoining areas to be able to reap economic benefits. The stations are essentially public
buildings and a comprehensive observational research of its users can give the designers a
valid perspective. Following are case-studies of some stations in various parts of the world,
where their designs have evolved much to integrate with the areas they serve to forge
sustainable development and usher more public transport usage.
46
3.2 Case-studies
3.2.1 Stratford Station, London UK
Figure 3-1 London Rail Network Source: Transport for London website
London, the capital city of England is known world over for its well developed urban rail
network comprised of underground ‘tube’ trains, the over-ground trains, light rail and
trams, and to augment these services well, the city also has a large fleet of buses, water
taxis and car taxis.
London has a dedicated local government body called the ‘Transport for London’ which
manages these services and implements the various projects for delivering an effective
mode of transport to Londoners.
47
Table 3-3 Components of rail network, London Source: Transport for London website
Type Users/annual Lines Length Stations
Underground
‘Tube’
1065 million 11 402 270
Over ground 11 million 5 86kms 78
Light Rail ‘DLR’ 64 million 4 34kms 40
Tram
(Tramlink)
27 million 1 28kms 39
Total 1167 Million
3.5 million/day
21 550 427
London rail network has been continuously developing itself to suit the needs of millions of
passengers. Londoner gets to switch various modes of transport at the hundreds of London
transports’ network nodes. It can be assumed that most Londoners live at a walking
distance from a rail station or a bus stand and hence it can be substantiated that the public
transport in London is quite robust.
Architecturally, most stations follow definite design elements and set a uniform order. The
stations are equipped with escalators, lifts and many are being upgraded to be accessed by
disabled persons. The network lines run in all directions of the city and cover the suburban
area quite extensively. There are numerous interchanges on each rail line and they have
augmented the network quite effectively.
48
Stratford is a suburb of London and is located to the north east of London’s centre. The
station location is very strategic as the Olympic Village is coming just north to the station
area and the station is expected to cater large number of sports enthusiasts during the
games. The suburban area which this station serves is also experiencing major regeneration
and the station building was improved as a part of it. The East London is undergoing urban
renewal as the old docks are being developed to accommodate various new functions. The
end of 20th century saw this major change beginning to happen with London bagging the
opportunity to host the Olympics 2012. The Jubilee line of the London underground rail
network was extended from Green Park till Stratford. Some eleven stations were developed
in along this extension. The stations were to highlight new contemporary British
architectural trends. Stratford, a part of the Newham Council’s master- plan is going to
accommodate some 20,000 homes (See figure below) and to make it all sustainable, 46,000
jobs are going to get created along with addition and upgrading of civic amenities. New
schools, shops and other recreational facilities are going to be developed and going by the
recommendations of the biggest ever master-plan in Europe evolved for this east London
area of Stratford, it hints that these developments are going to get spun around the various
Stratford
London
Figure 3-2 Location: Stratford Station Source: Multiple
49
transport linkages which the area has been developing since some time now. It is believed
that currently the area is supported by the best transport linkages available in the whole of
UK (London Borough of Newham, 2011).
Figure 3-3 Master plan for Stratford Source: (London Borough of Newham, 2011)
50
It is certain that the Stratford station designed by Wilkinson Eyres Architects, commissioned
in the year 1994 is going to see its importance grow manifolds. The area is poised to serve
the eastern gateway for London city. The design studio was established in 1983 and has
built other projects like the South Quay foot bridge and the Floral Street Bridge (See figure
4) and was found to be suitable to design the layout for the station which would handle the
intra-city and inter-regional train services. The station was initially a part of Jubilee line
extension project and its now being brought under the scheme for the much bigger
regeneration of the area.
The brand new terminus building, serving the extended Jubilee line is built by replacing an
old underground station (Powell, 2000). The station is a complex interchange serving four
lines, the Underground Central line and the over ground North London Line, the Jubilee line
and the DLR (Docklands Light Rail). The project was envisaged to engage the area with a
new planning layout. The North London Line runs cutting across the station building and it
were a major challenge to assimilate the line into the building design.
The quarter elliptical building form resting on four inconspicuous pillars opens on the south
and is enclosed by a tapering glass curtain-wall which guarantees ample daylight
penetration. The curved profile tapering onto the north casts negligible shadows. The
station befits its comparison with a ‘shining jewel’ (Powell, 2001)
51
The interiors of the curving profile have been well highlighted
by wide strips of lights running along the top of the entrance
canopy which stretches throughout the station frontage.
Outside the station area (see figure 3) is ample public space
which gets linked to the bus station where the white Teflon
awnings forms its roof. The scale of the bus station seems
adequate and serves to be a major inter-modal connectivity
for the station. The pedestrian route at the south-east of the
station is guided through a high street retail complex on
whose roof is a multi level car-park. This allows the station
building to maintain its individuality and at the same time
achieves a very orderly management of functions. It can be
assumed that the station building is not laden with too many
functions apart from serving the commuters taking the
trains on four separate lines is that the station is later going
to cater the huge crowds who will be coming to the Olympic
Sports complex, currently under construction and post
Olympics may continue to attract crowds into a major
shopping complex also currently under construction. Along
with creation of retail spaces, numerous housing units,
schools, a university and other amenities are planned in the
area, earlier was a brown-field site belonging to the rail
companies (London Borough of Newham, 2011).
Figure 3-5 Interiors of Stratford Station Source: (Powell, The Jubilee Line Extension, 2000)
Figure 3-4 Station's Profile (1) and Exploded view (2) Stratford Source: (Powell, 2000), (Powell, 2001)
52
Overall the station seems to befittingly suit the role it is going to serve in coming years and
sets a great example of spatial distribution and ordered circulation management with its
simple bare minimum interiors.
Figure 3-6 Present Stratford Station Area Source: Google Earth
53
The lessons learnt from planning the Stratford station can be applied at some stations which
are being developed in the New Mumbai area. The parts of New Mumbai lack multitude of
linkages with the older and much denser Mumbai and hence the planning authorities are
bound to find it challenging to attract more people to shift to these new area. It is essential
for a place to be more accessible in order to become attractive for the property developers
and people to move in.
Table 3-2 SWOT Analysis, Stratford Station Source: Author
Strengths The station is the focal point for the new development proposed in the
area.
The stations simple and transparent look makes it an attractive gateway
Weaknesses The station could have incorporated more functions with more levels above
the tracks.
The vehicular road between the shopping complex and Station needs to be
subdued.
Opportunities The use of glass can enhance the visibility for the station building
Gentrification of Station areas can greatly be influenced on harbour line
stations along the Mumbai port land by taking lessons from this station.
Threats
54
3.2.2 Kyoto Rail Station, Japan
Japan has spearheaded great innovations in the
field of high-speed trains and in the post-
second war era was able to develop itself into a
major economy. Railways in Japan are laid
across the countries remotest corners and have
brought its people closer. Railways led to rapid
urbanisation of the country and made its cities
bigger to serve millions of people. Very dense
conurbations are seen in Japan and to provide its citizens with modes of mobility, railways
were given more prominence.
Kyoto is one such city and the railway station building designed by Hiroshi Hara and Atelier
5, a design group studio has great story to tell. The station was built in 1997 and serves
more than being a railway station. The station building, however is the fourth building being
built at the same site. The first one was built in 1877, the second in 1914 and the third in
1952. The present one is a multi-level building laden with many more functions to serve its
users and city in general. The station is served by 10 rail lines at various points at the base
and under the building (Mi Marketing Pty Ltd, 2010).
The population of Kyoto is whopping 26.5 million and most of its urban fabric is in
accordance with layout which can date back to several millennia ago. The city and its
outlying suburbs have evolved in sync with the historic patterns while embracing some
modern contemporary elements. This primarily served an inspiration to the designers of this
Figure 3-7 Location of Kyoto Source Multiple
55
contemporary station building (Hara, 1997). They added numerous functions to this building
and also treated the spaces and appearance of the building quite sensitively. The big atrium
enclosed by glass held by steel framework represents the intricacy of street patterns
observed in Kyoto and according to the architect serves as the matrix for the building (Japan
Guide, 2009).
The building is set over a four
hectare site and its longer side
measures a good 470 meters. The 70
m long station building of such a long
length has 238,000 sq.m of floor-
space and as block divides the city
across the east- west direction. The
north of the building houses new
developments and is very busy
because that is where the traditional
downtown area is located while the
south seems to be a quaint neighbourhood. The gigantic building is built parallel to the rail
Figure 3-9 Observation Deck and the Skywalk, Kyoto rail StationSource: Multiple
Figure 3-8 The Building’s South Facade (Left), The Rail Platforms (Middle) and the Atrium (Right), Kyoto Rail Station Source: Multiple.
56
tracks and boasts of a hotel, a retail space, conference centre, a museum and multi-level
car-park.
The insides of this building can be characterised by its very unique atrium which converges
down in the centre of the building onto a piazza also serving as a concourse to access the
rail station. The atrium steps down gradually towards the centre in a stepped manner. The
base of this humongous atrium connects welcomingly with the outside piazza where
separate bays for taxis and buses await the commuters to provide inter-modal facilities.
Various other facilities are provided here. The base of this epic atrium also leads its users to
a large shopping mall and the atrium allows the shoppers to orient themselves in context
with the rest of this huge railway station. Beyond the mall is the multi-level car park wing to
the west of the building and a hotel lies on the other side with its rooms aligned along the
remaining length of the building (Futagawa, 1996).
The station also provides the tourists and the people of Kyoto to experience some great
views of the city from an observation deck located on the top of the building. Another
skywalk which runs 45 m above the central piazza also offers the views of the city and
witness the activity within the station building. Both these spaces are open to public and the
access is free (Japan Guide, 2009).
A huge central void separates the hotel block from the shopping mall and ensures that the
building doesn’t appear as a huge long monolith. The location of this void coincides with an
important city street. The exteriors of the building are played along using extrusions,
inclines and a void. The building hits the ground with a stepped extrusion over which various
building services are installed. Many reproductions of the art work by Roy Lichtenstein,
Robert Longo, Kokyo Hatanaka, Thomas Shanow and Joseoh Kosuth adorns the inside walls.
57
The use of glass on the inclined and straight facades interestingly reflects the changing skies
above create unique canvases (Futagawa, 1996).
Figure 3-10 North Elevation (1), South Elevation (2), Section (3), Axonometric (4), Plan (5), Kyoto rail Station Source: (Hara, 1997)
1
2
3
4
5
58
In the above figure, one can clearly see how the building’s neatly managed functions
gimmicks a city in itself and at the same time places the rail station in the centrality of the
urban built space. The station building design set a new trend for development of various
stations in Japan (Pollock, 1998) and such influences can also be seen in the planning of
Vashi and Belapur railway stations on the relatively newer section of Suburban rail network
in Mumbai, where the air space above the tracks is been used to create only deep office
floor plates. Similar exploitation of air space over some important suburban train stations
such as Kurla. Thane and Panvel can provide much vitality to the station building while
simultaneously helping railways to earn more revenues. The concentration of such varied
functions can provide much convenience to all and also to the people working and living in
the vicinity of the station. The building type can also trigger higher densification of areas
within the walk able distances and serve major deterrent to urban sprawl.
Table 4-3 SWOT Analysis, Kyoto Railway Station Source: Author
Strengths The station serves as a vital link between the two distinct sides of the city
The station laden with numerous functions serves as a city in itself
Weaknesses The assemblage of too many functions can cause security concerns in case
of emergency.
Figure 3-11 Spatial Organisation, Kyoto Rail Station Source: (Hara, 1997)
59
The station seems to be standing in isolation from all the sides.
Opportunities Multi-level stations with mixed use functions can help decongestion of
station areas.
The revenues earned from letting these spaces can help earn railways more.
Threats The long building form can be very daunting to the city scape.
60
3.2.3 Glazenberg Rail Station, Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich the largest city in Switzerland is home 1.2 million people and they majorly depend on
city’s public transport. The city buses,
trams and light rail (S.Bahn) together
deliver public transport. The city offers
some of the best living standards for
majority of its people (Mercer LLC, 2011).
The rail network got operational in 1990 to
connect the suburban areas of the city
with its city centre (Ferrarini, Ueli Zbinden,
2005). Glanzenberg is one such suburban
rail station offering good frequency rail
connectivity to go to the city centre in
Zurich. The station building is minimalistic and designed by Ueli Zbinden using simple
prefabricated structural elements.
The station was to be located in an area dominated by roadways. The structure here seems
to be modestly catering the bare basic functions required for a rail station. The station sits
right under an overpass and has used much of the unused space under it for the station’s
forecourt which provides the facility for park and ride.
The architect wanted the users to feel safe at the station and a structure which would help
much to orient themselves in accordance with their surroundings. The design is very distinct
and the legible structure ensures best use of space. The rail interface is basic and provided
with a 35 m long cubed pavilion of glass, held by a frame of prefabricated steel members,
Figure 3-12 Public Transport Lines, Zurich Source: Invalid source specified.
61
following a 7 m grid plan. Such simplicity and use of prefabrication allowed speedy
construction work even when the rail line was in operation (Ferrarini, Ueli Zbinden, 2005).
The station also houses a waiting room, bit of retail, washrooms and covered area for cycles.
Steel rectangular sections and folded wood lamina were joined together using semi-rigid
joints to form the roof. The sections of the structural components have been designed
distinctly to suit the loads they will be experiencing for just use of materials but an amazing
uniformity has been achieved with regards to the appearance of the structure. The profile of
the pavilion roof is designed sensitively. The side facing the forecourt has been provided
with overhangs from the same roof level but it is lowered on the side where the platforms
are to be covered. The structural profile made of hollow steel sections also carries the
wiring for the electrical and light fittings. The platforms are serviced by underpasses and are
Figure 3-13 Plan, Glazenberg Rail Station Source: Invalid source specified.
62
tiled with refreshingly yellow tiles. The glass panels which enclose the pavilion are held in an
aluminium frame and the frame joins with the profile with a very detailed and aesthetic
way.
The simplicity adopted in the structural elements speaks of a much matured design
sensibility which also achieves optimal use of the material and resources used for its
construction. The transparency provided by glass panels and the least obtrusive and
otherwise bold expression of structural elements can go a long way in creating orderly
spaces within such complex transport buildings of much public importance and they can
also influence the sense of order in congested suburban areas which are examples of more
chaotic and unorganised urban environments.
Glazenberg station design can be well adopted to suit the redesigning for the existing
suburban stations in Mumbai. The use of prefabricated structural components can ensure
Figure 4-14 Section and Elevation, Glazenberg Rail Station Source: Invalid source specified.
63
speedy upgrading of the station buildings. The Glazenberg station design is uncluttered and
makes efficient use of spaces. It eliminates the disproportionate use of resources and
delivers a clean and a very functional space for the users. The use of glass ensures better
visibility and guarantees better orientation which is otherwise found lacking in more
elaborate and confined railway station buildings. The prospect of such a building design for
stations in less crowded suburban areas of Mumbai is surely promising.
Table 3.4 SWOT Analysis, Glazenberg Railway Station Source: Author
Strengths The use of glass for the small station ensures better visibility and
guarantees security
The station’s location under the viaduct makes efficient use of space.
Weaknesses The station’s forecourt has a car park and has no activities spun around it
The station seems to be standing in isolation from all the sides.
Opportunities Prefabrication of structural components can save great deal of money and
time.
The minimalist and contemporary design can add order to the area.
Threats
64
3.2.4 Bangkok Light Rail Stations
Bangkok, also called by the name Krung Thep
is the capital city of Thailand, a country in the
tropical South-East Asia. The capital city is also
the seat of many cultural and economical
activities. The population of Bangkok
Metropolitan area is 12.39 million and is
distributed across 7762 sq.km area which
indicates of a very moderate population
density of 1542 ppl/sq.km (Brinkhoff, 2010).
The urban sprawl is mostly because the rising
popularity of private transport fuelled by rising income levels and extensive availability of
credit (Tanaboriboon, 1993). The older and traditional business districts contain within them
a very dense built environment with many high-rises. The traffic conditions in the city are
quite acute but lately the development of public transport is providing much respite.
Table 3-5. Train transport in Bangkok Source: Multiple
Metro Sky-train Total
Lines 1 2 3
Stations 18 25 43
Length 20 kms 55 kms 75 kms
Ridership/day 200,000 460,000 660,000
The city has developed light rail transport system by building viaducts on most of the city’s
key and busy roads. The government’s initiative for building rail transport for the city has
Figure 3-15 Location: Bangkok Source: (Brinkhoff, 2010)
65
met several setbacks and it is only recently that the city has been able to depend on rail
transit system (Glaister, Allport, Brown, & Travers, 2010).
The traffic situation in Bangkok was so bad that it was estimated that the mass transit plan
which was to be built during the period of 15 years costing $15
billion, could have only increased the speed of traffic by
merely a kilometre per hour (Moreau, 1991). Bangkok had to
do something to solve its traffic problems and hence was to
build a mass transit rail network.
A proposal for building the sky-train by the UK based Building
Design Partnership seems to be very location sensitive rail
transport system but the one which got built is slightly
different from the initial proposal.
The proposal was to build a 15 km long elevated rail line with 25 stations at an interval of
600m. The rail line was to be supported by viaducts made of single concrete pillars been
Figure 3-17 Artist impression: Bangkok Light Rail Source: (Building Design Partnership, 1995)
Figure 3-16 Typical Station for the Bangkok Light Rail Source: (Building Design Partnership, 1995)
66
built at the centre of the major streets. The stations were to be built in steel over two levels.
The top level was to hold the train line and the platforms with canopies and the lower level
was to cater the ticketing windows and toilets. The levels were to be accessed from the
street sidewalks by stairs and lifts.
Precast concrete pillars were to be used and double sided steel cantilevers to form the
decks. Steel was preferred because of its light weight and it offers much flexibility to be
fabricated off site. The line was to be built within 42 months.
The design of all the stations except the central station was kept elegant with sleek canopies
and the design was kept consistent to keep the costs lower as it would involve mass
production of the similar structural components and help achieve the project deadline. The
two steel decks supported over the precast concrete column were 28m wide. The sleek
canopies over the platforms on the top most deck were asymmetrical and were to provide
an interesting architectural element to the busy streets if viewed from top. The physical
elements of the roof were maintained even for the central stations where two loops were to
cross at the same station. The station here was to hold 90,000 commuters per hour during
the rush hours. For orderly movement of commuters escalators were provided between two
upper platform decks and another third deck was provided under the arch of the concrete
portal here. The tracks were provided on the edge of the upper two decks which allowed
even more visibility of the station area for the commuters.
67
The advantages of an elevated rail link helps the commuters orient themselves well to the
areas they go through and also offers much visibility to the development taking place
around the stations and hence prove more attractive for the property development. It is
also possible for physically connecting such developments at the elevated levels (Building
Design Partnership, 1995).
Elevated rail links can offer much respite to decongesting the areas as they can be built with
least disturbances during their construction compared to building an underground system
and it is also feasible to build them in areas where the ground conditions are not suitable to
build underground tunnels. In case of Bangkok, if the system was built underground it would
have required building 60m deep piles and the city’s location in a high seismic zone would
have required more precautions, adding to the costs of construction (McGuirk, 1995). The
government though did go ahead and built the 20km underground section in 2004.
Figure 3-18 Section through the Central Station, Bangkok light Rail, Source: (Building Design Partnership, 1995)
68
Table 3-5 SWOT Analysis, Bangkok Light Rail Stations Source: Author
Strengths The elevated stations save a lot of ground space.
The use of same and elegant station design helps create a better image for
the city.
Weaknesses The entry and exit points from the sidewalks can be tricky in congested
areas of the city
The stations do not form direct physical linkages with the surrounding built
form.
Opportunities The scope of an elevated rail line over the busy roads can greatly decongest
traffic and encourage more public transport usage.
The surrounding areas near the stations can greatly benefit by the provision
of better and clean mode of transport.
Threats Insensitive Street level Integration
69
4. Conclusions- Design Guidelines for the Mumbai Rail Stations and Precincts
The first two chapters have duly highlighted how important are the rail services for Mumbai
and the present status of it is proving very inadequate to cater the needs of a rising
population. The case-studies in chapter two clearly mention that although the development
authorities are trying innovative ways to tackle the congestion at these stations, their
outcomes have barely been appreciated. This is partly because these improvements have
not been carried out by keeping in perspective the needs of the users and the built
environment which surrounds these stations. Building of skywalks and elevated roads, decks
can deteriorate the quality of life on the street levels and can result their redundancy if they
fail to attract users due to the poor and inadequate planning. These are public spaces and
no amount of aesthetics can welcome people to use it unless they are practical and
convenient to use. In case of many new iconic stations coming up in New Mumbai, big
forecourts are being provided for effective integration with other modes of transport such
Figure 4-1 Mumbai Stations (Clockwise) Office blocks above Vashi Station, Iconic Turbhe Station, Motorbike parking at Thane Station, Car parking on the roof of Khargar Station and Elevated bus station outside Thane Station. Source: Multiple
70
as buses, taxis and auto rickshaws; multiple levels over the tracks are provided for office
space use and at few stations ample car and motorbike parking has been provided (see
figure 4-1).
The provision of these facilities is not consistent across all stations and also where provided
are not serving their purpose. These station areas need an effective integration with various
aspects of urban life. They can be shopping centres, places offering leisure and
entertainment facilities, an effective inter-modal transport facility apart from being a
railway station.
Mumbai suburban stations need an amalgamated kind of architecture which supports all
possible kind of functions and activities within and around them as discussed in the chapter
three. The station areas need to be served by a mixed use of land resources as in the case of
Stratford, and also accommodate many allied functions within itself, very similar to Kyoto
railway station and be just as elegant and functional by the use of prefabricated structural
elements order, scale and aesthetics which the Glazenberg station stands for. Equal care
should be taken while building elevated walks, rail lines and stations by keeping their
structures elegant and versatile as in the case of Bangkok’s light rail stations. Such
comparisons may set the direction for possible intervention of station architecture in
Mumbai.
Rail stations need to be designed in context with their users and the scope of designing
them should go beyond the perimeters of the station building and extend into their
precincts. The nature of built environment surrounding the station buildings can have both
good and bad effect on the functioning of these key public buildings. The aim of this chapter
71
is to suggest guidelines for the effective designing of station buildings and later for design
and managements of their precincts.
4.1 Rail Stations
The design and planning of rail stations are more or less dictated by the circulation patterns
which allow its user to enter and exit these station buildings to board and disembark off the
trains which halt at these stations. This experience between the stretches of this activity can
largely influence the usage of rail services. The station design has to provide comfort and
safety.
4.1.1 Internal Circulation
The insides of a typical rail station are of regular ticket counters and then concourses
leading to the various long platforms. The ticketing area is the first point of interface for a
passenger with the station. The designing of this interface has to be distinctly visible and
elegant. Bold and aesthetically designed station canopies can provide that much needed
visibility and shelter from the harsh sun and rains in the open. The access within the station
has to be friendly for all types of users such as elderly and disabled people. Once inside the
station building, the ticketing counters can be located well within a few steps and
considering the amounts of people using the train services in Mumbai as of now ample area
are required to be provided for queuing . However there is a limitation to the amount of
space which can be provided in the ticketing area at Mumbai rail stations because many
long queues are a regular sight at most stations and hence faster dispensation of tickets
through various credible methods should be considered. In Mumbai, ticket vending
machines, coupon validating machines and even touch-card machines (See figure 4-2) have
been provided on the lines of London’s Oyster card but these systems are badly managed.
72
They are simply not designed to cater the
huge number of users. Most fail to work
within months of their installation or in
the case of touch-card system, the
machines are rarely being located at key
access points to the stations and also go
faulty as they get exposed to the harsh
hot and humid climate and the torrential
rains, Mumbai witnesses during the
monsoon season. The ticketing system needs to be remodelled on the lines of London tube,
where every passenger entering the core area of the station has to pass through the card
validators and owing to these stations catering huge crowds during morning hours, the area
assigned to accommodate these validators should be wide enough. The use of these
validators can also act as barrier controls to regulate the number of the passengers entering
the core areas of the rail stations. For an effective regulation of crowds, it is however
required that these barriers cum validators are manned as it is in the case of London
stations. Also the other modes of tickets availed should allow passengers to enter the
station core areas by validating their tickets at these barriers. This may work well in London
where there are far few people using the rail services along different lines and many more
stations as against in Mumbai, where only three rail lines cater almost 7 million daily users
at just 120 Stations (see table 1-2 of the Chapter 1). The system designed for Mumbai needs
to be more effective to cater almost double the numbers compared to London. This only
hints at designing wide enough access points to the stations core areas. The use of such a
system won’t require many ticket counters but wider access points which if located along
Figure 4-2, Various ticketing options, Mumbai Suburban rail, Source: Multiple
73
the concourses can result into better regulation of passenger flows and avoiding of
bottlenecks. In case of Mumbai’s Rail stations, the train services are 12-car long and they
carry 5000 people at a time during peak hours when they are allowed to carry just half that
number (Bhagat, 2011). This has resulted in platforms as long as 270m.
A detailed study can be carried out to ascertain the number of passengers enter and exit a
particular station during the rush hours and then the internal spaces be designed
accordingly. Factors such as user density, ticketing, rush hour times and disabled persons
accessibility should be considered while designing circulation areas. Barrier control systems,
speedy ticketing methods and ensuring of unobstructed spaces can help better circulation
of people (Edwards, 1997). These spaces should be calculated for a minimum of 1
sq.m/passenger (Godward, 1992). Apart from providing zones for ticketing, the stations are
also to provide platforms and to access these have to design effective means of vertical and
horizontal movement of
passengers through stairs and
concourses.
The figure 4-3, indicates the
typical section for most
suburban rail stations in
Mumbai. The foot-over bridges
are usually provided for
movement of passengers
between platforms and sides of
the station but with adding of new lines for a separate freight and express train corridor
Figure 4-3 Typical Circulation patterns for Mumbai Rail Stations Source: Author
74
(earlier shared with suburban services) has led to shifting of the ticket counters on the level
of the foot-over bridges and these bridges are being extended deep onto either sides of the
station in the form of skywalks but Mumbai rail stations are not simply meant to cater
passengers. Their surroundings are full of various activities which are now protesting against
these skywalks as it would render their shops on the ground level pointless. It is in the
interest of saving the fabric of the outside station areas and having not to construct
structures up the air, an underground pass through can be constructed just across the
station width. This can ensure open to sky streets and streets full of activities. Shifting of just
passenger movement away from the ground floor can prove detrimental to the businesses
around the station. These underpasses can work in tandem with the station Foot-over
bridges. Such alternate of providing additional means of passenger movement can greatly
enhance their mobility and the scope of providing easy access to disabled people can be
achieved by providing lifts (See figure 4-4).
4.1.2 Congregation of more functions
Figure 4-4 Proposed Circulation pattern for Mumbai Suburban Rail Stations Source: Author
75
The changing face of the stations has been executed by making them deliver more functions
while creating new avenues for social, economical and cultural interactions. Alongside, the
structures to accommodate these new functions have undergone major physical changes.
The congregation of several functions is proving convenient for its users who can now shop
at numerous retail units, eat variety of world cuisines at the cafes and restaurants, use
banks, ATMS, and interact with other people while being at the station itself. These station
buildings have become more attractive for all kinds of users and no more just the travellers.
The built environment accommodating so many functions is bound to get complex and
would require an evolution in the aspects of transport architecture. The stations are
becoming part of the world of leisure, are serving as resort for the urban tourist, the
shopper and the unemployed (Edwards, 1997). These new rail stations are providing greater
interactions with their environments which were earlier restricted to a few who would buy
tickets for wanting to commute by trains. In the contrary now the new breed of stations
have become more attractive and are earning much revenue from these new provision of
functions. Many developers are finding it attractive to build office and retail spaces by
exploiting the air space above the tracks and their precincts. For e.g the offices above the
Vashi Station in New Mumbai or the Kyoto Railway station in Japan which accommodates
Figure 4-5 Vashi Rail Station, Mumbai (left) and Kyoto Rail Station Source: Multiple
76
number of shops, a hotel, a car park and art galleries. . A comprehensive and all inclusive
design can serve differently to various types of users. All of this can be achieved by having
the local people, the developers to collaborate with the rail companies to evolve location
specific functions and build them by sharing resources.
In Mumbai, owing to the busy nature of most stations, provision of shopping malls, offices
at major stations can be avoided by accommodating them outside the station building in the
station precinct area. Such facilities can also be provided in the nearest station on the same
line.
The circulation areas can be designed by demarcating zones for ticketing, areas for
food/book stalls, waiting areas, toilets and information display boards and then linking them
sequentially. These circulation areas should not allow passengers to get disoriented for.e.g
in the case of Kyoto railway station discussed in the chapter 3, the main piazza remains in
the centrality of all the other functions distributed in the building.
Care should be taken while integrating the circulation between the various levels in the
station building, i.e. the stairs, ramps, lifts should be strategically located. Effective design of
structural elements and distinct use of lighting, surface finishes can help passengers orient
themselves at busy junctions in the station building (Edwards, 1997).
The provision of limited retail spaces at some key circulation concourses especially near the
ticket counters can help rail authority earn much revenue. British rail earned £153.7 million
in revenues by leasing the spaces for various non-rail purposes (British Rail, 1994). For the
effective exploitation of retail spaces in the station building and their smooth integration
with the station precincts, the ticketing areas can be located just before the passenger is
77
about to enter the core area of the station which serves the trains. Major Stations offering
inter-city express train services also house allied services such as post and parcel services.
The stations also witness arrival of vegetables and fish in the early morning hours. It is often
seen on Mumbai’s suburban stations that these goods are transported using the same
circulation routes shared by fellow passengers. Although suburban trains have special
coaches for their transport but stations don’t have any provisions for their movement from
the platforms to the sides of a station. These services need to given a dedicated zone and a
circulation path to minimise conflicts with the passenger movement. A space should be
dedicated for their storage and then a path be provided to transport these items to their
markets. It could be worth if these markets are allowed to function in the close vicinity of
the stations or are simply stacked over the station platforms or rail lines to be accessed from
the sides.
Care should also be taken to allow healthy levels of light in all these circulation areas and
considering the hot and humid climate of Mumbai, forced ventilation along with indirect
lighting can put the users at much ease. The top surfaces of the platforms and station
building should be provided with light and heat reflecting surfaces, for example white
aluminium sheets in addition with intermediate translucent poly-carbonate sheets.
Provision of heavy duty fans at regular intervals can be more comforting.
4.2 Station Precinct
In Mumbai, most suburbs served by rail stations have developed dense built environments
around them. Owing to the rising population in the city, these areas have buckled under and
are often considered unattractive. Many people living in the suburbs are shunning away
78
from living close to these stations and are buying properties away from them. The
developers too have realised this and are building suitable housing units for the middle
classes in areas away from the stations. This has resulted in urban sprawls and the trend
needs to be regulated. Most station area in Mumbai although congested but are not the
places to find high-rises. The ratio for allowable developable area over a given plot (floor
space index, FSI) is too less. In Mumbai, this ratio is just 1.33 for the city and 1 in the
suburbs (Bertaud, Mumbai FSI/FAR Conundrum, 2004). To begin with, the archaic land
regulations can be relaxed to make way for high-rise construction of mixed-use building
types in the station precincts on the lines of London Bridge Station and Canary Wharf in
London.
Figure 4-6 London Bridge Station (Top two) and Canary Wharf Station (Bottom two) Source Multiple
79
4.2.1 Station as a bridge
Provision of developing commercial spaces in and around the stations is proving beneficial
for the users as well as the developers. This can also help in arresting urban sprawl and help
gentrify the inner town centres. There is no doubt that the rail-lines halve the areas from
where they pass through and many over and underpasses are required to connect these
sides. Rail stations can satisfyingly offer to provide a linkage and if this linkage is to
accommodate various functions then it invariably brings much vitality to the location of the
station and its surrounding area. The elements of the station such as its roof can become an
elevated deck to park vehicles, cycles or sport a market, a park or a recreational space.
An iconic bridge can also impart a unique identity to that place for e.g the Croydon rail
station. The rail station is aligned to a vehicular bridge with a very unique steel structure
which holds the station building next to it. The vehicular bridge has been strengthened to
offer a tram line, which offers feeder services to the station. This can be applied to serve
Figure 4.7 Croydon Station, London Source: Multiple
80
many key rail stations in Mumbai and help develop either sides of the station area as against
just one side. The example of Thane railway station as discussed in the chapter 2, highlights
strange contrasts with the level of activities happening on either sides of the tracks. At
Thane only one side of the station has been developed by providing an elevated deck to
accommodate city bus station but if the elevated deck was to be built over the tracks it
would have served much better and opened up more area outside the congested rail
station.
4.2.2 Forecourts
4.3.3 External Spaces
Externally, the forecourts are spaces which are meant to allow access to the station
concourses which later lead to the various platforms. The alignment of feeder bus/ tram
routes should be set close to these forecourts and at the same time this alignment should
be in sync with the pedestrian routes leading to the station. Cycling routes can also be made
to converge at these forecourts. However, car or two wheeler-parking should be avoided in
order to give right of way for buses, trams, cycles and pedestrians. Care should also be taken
that during the times of emergencies the fire brigade and ambulances can access all the
access points to the station.
In case of Mumbai, most suburban stations are through stations and as explained in the case
of Thane and Kanjurmarg stations in chapter two, there are mainly three types of stations.
81
Table 4-1 Station Types in Mumbai Source: Author
1. Major through Stations offering slow
and fast suburban and also express
inter-city services. for e.g. Thane as
explained in the chapter 2
2. Major through Stations offering slow
and fast suburban only.
3. Through stations offering only slow
suburban services. for e.g.
Kanjurmarg as explained in the
chapter 2
In the case of these stations, it is not often that the road on either sides of the station may
run along the length of the platforms. In the case of Thane it does but not in the case of
Kanjurmarg. It is however very important that the stations not only are served by parallel
running roads but also have a parallel running forecourts on either sides of the station.
These forecourts can provide the stations with some breathing space. In order to
compensate the usage of this huge forecourt area, the air-rights above the forecourt can be
exploited and the buildings built over the forecourts can be accessed from the islands in
forecourt.
Interventions on such a huge scale are difficult but this has been partially accomplished in
the case of Thane station, where the entire huge forecourt area is elevated to make way for
a bus station and long elevated roads were built.
82
The user convenience can be greatly achieved by only such big interventions around the
station areas in Mumbai because the surrounding built environment is very dense and has
grown haphazardly. In Mumbai’s tropical climate, shade from the sun is important but also a
good quality of light is desirable. Architectural elements such as canopies and shaded walk-
ways can be provided. The use of paving and shading trees can be more desirable in the
forecourts as against asphalted roads and shrubs. In the night, these same forecourts if
provided with aesthetic lighting can make station areas look more attractive and the same
space used by open-air markets in the day time can convert into open spaces with food
stalls and places to meet and unwind. This multi-use of the same area can go a long way in
also supporting low-income households, who can run businesses in these open areas.
4.3 Sustainability
4.3.1 Densification
There is no doubt that train travel is the most sustainable mode of mass transport known to
humans, the stations and train operations do utilise lot of energy and it makes more sense
that the neighbourhoods benefit the most from these stations by saving resources which
Figure 4-8 Planning of station forecourts Source: Author
83
one would have to spend for their commutes with regards to reach the station building or
simply drive down to work via other less-fuel efficient modes of transport. Much energy
efficiency can be achieved if the last legs of door-to-door journey are done by simply
walking. This is only possible with high-rise constructions in walkable distances from the
station. A core of a kilometre distance from the station can be demarcated for high-density,
high-rise construction of mixed use type. A detailed mapping of such a kilometre radius
around stations can be carried out and construction beyond this zone be strictly regulated.
Construction of high-rises in an already dense city, lacking of open spaces is very desirable.
Such efficient use of station areas can open up new avenues for commercial, residential and
allied purposes and can easily curb urban sprawl. Such urban renewal should however be
made to be cohesive and all-inclusive so that the overall quality of life improves and the
benefits don’t remain limited to only a few. Public housing for the poor can be encouraged
in areas close to the stations and help them bring closer to the changing social and
economic trends.
4.3.2 Renewables
Train travel is undoubtedly the most sustainable
mode of mass transport available and the
design of rail stations can also be in sync with
the values of improving sustainability. The
example of Woking station, a suburban over-
ground rail station in London is quite
remarkable where a 34m x 22.5 m glass canopy
to shelter taxis and city buses outside the station has been built by imbedding it with photo-
Figure 4-9 PV imbedded canopy outside the Woking Rail Station, London Source: (Harman, 2010)
84
voltaic panels. The canopy produces 51,000 to 58,000 KWh/ year (Council, 2007). The costs
for the construction was committed by the local council which is installing more such
installations and combined heat plants across its council area to depend less on the national
electricity grid. The prospects of on-site energy generation for suburban rail stations are
enormous owing to the fact that platform roofs are metres long. The large roof areas can
also be used to collect rain water in Mumbai where it rains only during monsoons.
4.4 Summary
The design for the rail stations across the world is witnessing a great revival as the leading
architects are increasingly taking up the tasks for design engineering of railway stations.
Improved new designs are serving as catalysts for regeneration of old city centres. They are
sustainable virtues of train travel with effective design and engineering techniques and at
the same time are conceiving greater bondages with the economical and social aspects of
urban life (Edwards, 1997).
Mumbai, may be the densest and the most populated city in the world but it is not to be
forgotten that it the commercial capital of a country, whose market economy is 4th biggest
in the world (PTI, 2003) and is poised to become much bigger. India can’t afford to
deregulate archaic land-use laws. The station areas in Mumbai have to pave the way for
achieving greater economic goals with increased activities around them and the station
architecture has to stand as testimonials for the economic might.
The dissertation has highlighted the issues facing the Mumbai suburban rail services to its
possible extent using case-studies of some key stations, reports and news articles and has
been able to set guidelines for the design and development of the suburban rail stations and
their precincts by putting forth some important examples of station design and
85
management of the stations across the world. It is imperative that improvement of the
station architecture and their built environment in Mumbai can guarantee that city’s growth
is sustained for times to come and assure its citizens better and clean standard of living.
86
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