Abstract:
Railway stations, which are at the core of city development, have become congested over time.
After 164 years of the first railway line between Mumbai and Thane, most of the stations since
their constructions haven’t been evolved as much as the demand. Spaces and services provided
in the railway platforms and nearby areas are not enough for meeting the need of the public.
Most of the efforts in Indian railways are targeted towards running more trains to cater
increasing demand but improving station’s environment to cater that much of demand is
completely neglected. Their redevelopment offers immense opportunities for the changing city
landscape. They were designed with only the modes available at that time; however, the
transformation in the modes of transport brings a wide variety of options for commuters to take.
Hence, now it becomes a necessity for railway stations or airports to integrate with these modes.
This interlinkage forms a web of transportation modes required to meet the passenger’s needs.
With the increased passengers these places becomes congested and seamless exchange for these
modes is required for the smooth functioning of these spaces. A circulation becomes a pattern
when people started following it, it may be influenced by many factors like distance, comfort,
views etc. As architects and planners we can forecast a pattern by looking into these factors, but
cannot make it. Our focus should be creating a connection between these modes such that
commuters find those connection easy to adopt, the design itself should encourage people to take
the particular path.
