Mid-Day Exclusive: Mumbai plans Tokyo-style underground walkways across BKC and Worli

Plans are in motion for a pedestrian tunnel network branching out from the Mumbai Metro 3 Aqua Line These tunnels will link the Metro network to office complexes in Bandra Kurla Complex BKC Nehru Planetarium and the Worli promenade The Aqua Line has called in for design and project management consultancy for the construction of these underground subwaysvestibules connecting the Science Centre and BKC stations to various buildings in the vicinity Together these planned tunnels add up to nearly 3 km of underground pedestrian infrastructureVedant Mhatre programme director of the Walking Project told midday ldquoPedestrian subways are welcome but they should be much more than just corridors connecting two points We need to take cues from cities like Tokyo At Shinjuku Station you can step out and walk through an extensive network of underground spaces that stretch for kilometres These arenrsquot just passageways mdash theyrsquore active public environments Along the way you pass retail stores grocery shops and restaurants If we can replicate even a fraction of that scale in Mumbai we could address multiple challenges at once boosting ridership creating muchneeded space for retail activity like street vending while also generating nonfarebox revenuerdquoVoicesVedant Mhatre Programme director Walking ProjectlsquoWelldesigned subways could be connected to underground hawker markets built in partnership with BMC supporting livelihoods while making pedestrian routes safer and more engaging even late at night They could connect Metro stations with key destinations or bridge critical connectivity gaps like the one between Dadar Metro and Dadar railway station with an underground corridor which could also branch into nearby destinationsrsquoAV Shenoy Senior transport expertlsquoUtilisation will depend on the distance to be travelled inside the tunnel For distances longer than 250 metres people will be unwilling to use them due to claustrophobia fear of stampede etc Adequate measures need to be provided for eviction of people trapped inside the tunnels in an emergency Escalatorslifts need to be provided at every entryexit as Metro stations are 1025 metres below Security failsafe adequate lighting and ventilation also need to be providedrsquoJagdeep Desai Architect and academicianlsquoIf the tunnels are kept clean welllit ventilated and secured by guards they mdash like the skywalks mdash may prove safer for pedestrians than on road crossings or road overbridgesrsquoJitendra Gupta Citizensrsquo Transport CommitteelsquoAny infrastructure project should be welcomed as it could improve the present pathetic pedestrian walkway situation Such projects will work if they save timersquoTransitoriented developmentBesides these tunnels the areas under Metro stations are introducing TransitOriented Development TOD rules in the zones that are expected to see heavy Metro footfall oncegtgt Under the policy developers can build more on their plots by availing additional Floor Space Index FSI of up to 100 per cent In return they must pay a premium pegged at 50 per cent of the ready reckoner rategtgt The developers will have to physically connect their buildings to Metro stations by constructing underground walkways to station entry points at their own costgtgt To ensure compliance the government has added a strict condition buildings will not receive occupation certificates unless these Metro connections are completedAbout the walkwaysgtgt From the Science Centre Metro station two major pedestrian tunnels have been proposed mdash one stretching approximately 11 km to the Worli promenade via the Mahalaxmi Racecourse and the other a shorter 500metre connection to the Nehru Planetariumgtgt From BKC Metro station an underground link of 14 km is planned to connect with upcoming HighSpeed Rail terminal near Diamond Boursegtgt MMRCL has prepared a Detailed Project Report for underground direct access connectionsvestibules from the Science Centre and BKC Metro stations to various properties1600MApproximate length of pedestrian tunnels branching out of Science Centre station