The absurdist effect created by the interaction of two foot overbridges (FOBs) at Vile Parle station has raised commuters’ eyebrows. The staircase of an old FOB has been curtailed to accommodate a new, higher-capacity bridge, resulting in a design that has been compared to the moving staircases of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films and the impossible staircase depicted in the sci-fi thriller Inception.
The issue was highlighted by the X handle @public_pulseIN, which highlights public issues and civic matters that catch the fancy of commuters and Mumbaikars. “Another engineering marvel by Railways. At Vile Parle West, one FOB staircase lands directly onto the staircase of another FOB at a 90-degree angle. Result? One staircase is permanently blocked and completely useless. Who even clears such designs?” it stated.
However, mid-day visited the site to find out that the path is not completely blocked and that the portion which has been blocked was a part of the staircase that used to earlier land on the harbour line platforms below. With the new bridge in place, the staircase has been blocked, but a bigger and wider one has been provided in the opposite direction.
The old footover bridge (right), whose staircase is partially blocked by that of the new connector (left)
The design and the post, however, received hilarious comments. “It is obvious that we ‘muggles’ won’t understand this creativity. The design seems to be inspired by Hogwarts and is probably in the testing phase,” said commuter Shubham Padave. In the Harry Potter universe, muggles are non-magical people.
Another commenter, Arijit Ghoshal, said, “The designer made this just after watching Inception.” Sandeep Patwa, a commuter, said, “There are three bridges to access Vile Parle station. The southern staircase on the west side of the bridge in the centre is another engineering marvel. No two steps of that staircase are of the same height.”
Yet another commuter, Paras Batavia, said, “A staircase that leads to nowhere – a symbol of how planning and execution in Railways often end up!” Another commuter, Jonathan D’Sylva, said, “This is becoming the norm for all public infrastructure! At least they took the trouble to barricade it. Maybe they can open a ticket or chai counter there!”
The spot where the stairs of the old foot overbridge are cut off by those of the new connector at Vile Parle station. Pics/Rajendra B Aklekar
Railway officials said it was not feasible to open the staircase. “It is not feasible to open the blocked staircase portion as the gap between the staircases of the old and new FOBs is narrow,” a reply from Western Railway Mumbai divisional railway manager stated.
