Ghatkopar metro station

Ghatkopar
Mumbai Metro One terminus
General information
Location	Ghatkopar Station (West), Mumbai
Coordinates	19°5′11.98″N72°54′28.76″E / 19.0866611°N 72.9079889°E / 19.0866611; 72.9079889
Operated by	Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL)
Line(s)	Line 1
Platforms	2 (1 island platform)
Tracks	2
Connections	Ghatkopar (out-of-station interchange):      Central line
Construction
Structure type	Elevated, Double track
Platform levels	1
Parking	No
Bicycle facilities	No
Accessible	Yes [1]
Other information
Station code	GHK
History
Opened	8 June 2014;9 years ago (2014-06-08)
Passengers
2023	115,441 [2]
Rank	1 out of 12
Services
Preceding station Mumbai Metro One Following station Jagruti Nagar towards Versova Line 1 Terminus Out-of-system interchange Preceding station Mumbai Suburban Railway Following station Vidyavihar towards Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Central line transfer at Ghatkopar Vikhroli towards Kasara or Khopoli
Route map Legend Line 1 km 0.000 Versova Lokhandwala Complex Road Four Bungalows Depot 0.955 D N Nagar Andheri West Line 2 K L Walwalkar Marg 1.751 Azad Nagar Swami Vivekananda Road Harbour line to Mumbai CST │ to Goregaon Western line to Churchgate │ to Dahanu Road 3.111 Andheri Western Express Highway Gundavali Line 7 4.118 Western Express Highway Mahakali Caves Road Guru Hargovindji Road 5.382 Chakala (J B Nagar) 6.107 Airport Road 6.705 Marol Naka Line 3 (under construction) Mithi River 7.78 Saki Naka 8.903 Asalpha 9.765 Jagruti Nagar Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg 10.821 Ghatkopar Central line to Mumbai CST │ to Kalyan
Location

Mumbai Metro train arriving at Ghatkopar

Ghatkopar is the elevated eastern terminal metro station on the East-West Corridor of the Blue Line 1 of Mumbai Metro serving the Ghatkopar suburb of Mumbai, India. It was opened to the public on 8 June 2014. Ghatkopar is the busiest station on Line 1, with a daily passenger traffic of 115,441 in December 2023.

History

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) acquired a 1,400 square metre plot near the Ghatkopar railway station for construction of the Ghatkopar metro station. The MMRDA initially believed that the land belonged to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While the metro was being constructed, the Central Railway Zone (CR) wrote letters to the MMRDA informing them that the land actually belonged to CR. After CR submitted documents proving the same, the MMRDA agreed to compensate them for the plot. At a meeting between MMRDA and CR officials in April 2014, it was agreed that the former would pay ₹18 crore (US$2.3 million) for acquiring the land as part of an inter-governmental agency deal. However, some CR officials were reportedly upset as the amount was far lower than the market value of the land. As per market trends at the time, the land was estimated to be worth ₹180 crore (US$23 million). ^[3]

Infrastructure

In March 2017, MMOPL completed the installation of LED lights at the station. The replacement of the station's 1,718 lamps with LED lights halved its energy consumption. Only lamps were replaced; fixtures were not. The total reduction in the station's electricity consumption amounts to 120,000 units per year providing the MMOPL with an annual saving of ₹12 lakh (US$15,000). ^[4]

There are 7 sets of automated fare collection (AFC) gates at Ghatkopar station. Three more will be installed by the end of June 2014. ^[5] The station has textured tiles intended to provide grip to commuters who use wheelchairs. The station also has an elevator wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair, and a ramp from road level up to the elevator, enabling access for the disabled. ^[6]

Station layout

L1 Platforms
Platform 1	←       Line 1 toward Versova (Jagruti Nagar)
Island platform, doors will open on the right
Platform 2	←       Line 1 toward Versova (Jagruti Nagar)
M	Mezzanine	Fare control, station agent, Metro Card vending machines, crossover
G	Street level	Exit/Entrance

Foot overbridge

The Ghatkopar station is connected with the western side of the Ghatkopar railway station through a 12-meter-wide foot overbridge (FOB). ^{[7] [8] [9]} Commuters who want to exit the metro station from the main gate must purchase a platform ticket to cross the FOB and reach the road. ^[10]

Although the Central Railway (CR) had initially permitted metro commuters to use the FOB as a goodwill gesture around two weeks after the metro's opening, they announced that commuters found using the FOB without a platform ticket or a railway pass would be fined. A CR official told Mid-Day , "We have seen the flow of passengers and we think that our local train passengers are facing a problem because of the sudden rush of Metro passengers. Therefore we are now insisting that Metro passengers buy tickets to use the railway-owned overbridge." Railway Pravasi Sangh President Subhash Gupta told the paper, "I am aware of this issue and also took it up in the meeting with railway officials. The railway FOB here can't take the burden of thousands of additional Metro passengers. The rush has increased manifold after Metro services started." ^[10]

The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) completed improvement works at the Ghatkopar railway station on 25 December 2023. The project aims to ease congestion caused by the spillover of commuters from the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro-1 into the rail premises. A new 12-metre-wide and 75-metre-long foot over bridge (FOB) was constructed to connect the east and west sides of the station, along with platforms 1/2/3/4. The FOB features a three-metre-wide staircase and escalators on platforms 2/3/4. ^[11]

In addition, an elevated deck was built to connect the new middle FOB and the existing bridge of Metro 1, aiming to provide respite to metro rail commuters. The upgraded station also features more ticket counters, food stalls, and shops. The first phase of these infrastructure additions, including Automated Ticket Vending Machines on the elevated deck, was carried out at a cost of ₹28 to 30 crore. The overall cost, including the second phase, was estimated to be ₹60-70 crore. The improvements are expected to alleviate the then stampede-like situation during peak hours and facilitate a smoother commute for both local train and metro passengers. ^[11]

Entrances and exits

Ghatkopar metro station exits [1]
Gate No-1A 🛗 ♿	Gate No-1B	Gate No-2A	Gate No-2B	Gate No-3 🛗 ♿	Gate No-4
Toward L.B.S. Marg/Sarvodaya Hospital	Near Bata Showroom	Near Bhau Vadapav	Near Ghatkopar railway station	Near Ghatkopar railway station	Near Khot Gali Market

References

1. "Versova metro station layout". reliancemumbaimetro.com. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
2. Mehta, Manthank (5 December 2023). "Metro 1 ridership touches 90cr in 9 yrs of operation". The Times of India . Retrieved 20 January 2024.
3. "CR gave away Rs 180cr land for Metro station for a mere Rs 18 crore – News". mid-day.com. 15 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
4. "Mumbai: LED lights reduce by half Ghatkopar Metro station's energy use". The Indian Express. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
5. "Ghatkopar Metro station to get 3 more fare collection gates | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis". dnaindia.com. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
6. "Mapping disabled-friendly buildings and facilities". 22 June 2014.
7. Ateeq Shaikh (31 March 2014). "Ghatkopar railway station to soon to be integrated with metro station". Dnaindia.com. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
8. "Commuters sandwiched between Mumbai Metro and railways - Free Press Journal". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
9. "Andheri, Ghatkopar stations ill-prepared for commuter surge". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
10. "Taking the Mumbai Metro? Pay up for using rail FOB". 22 June 2014.
11. Rao, Shashank (19 December 2023). "Upgraded Ghatkopar Station to be thrown open on Dec 25". Hindustan Times . Retrieved 22 January 2024.