After years of waiting, there is finally hope of easing the daily chaos outside Kurla station in the east. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) architect department has completed a detailed plan for the long-pending Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATIS), moving the project one step closer to reality.
mid-day had highlighted the dire need for such a scheme last year in a front-page story. Officials now say the proposal will soon be circulated among departments for comments and suggestions before heading for final approval.
For lakhs of Kurla commuters, though, the news has been met with cautious optimism. “We’ve been hearing about this for years. Only when the first barricade goes up will we believe it,” said Dinesh Pawar, a daily commuter who uses the east side of the station to reach Chembur.
Kurla’s bottleneck
Broken skywalks, incomplete elevated station work, and poor pedestrian management make Kurla East a nightmare during rush hours, with autos, buses, hawkers, and two-wheelers all colliding in one giant bottleneck.
Local MLA Mangesh Kudalkar (in white, sitting in the centre) meets officials over Kurla SATIS plan
The new SATIS blueprint promises wider dispersal zones, integration of plots currently occupied by a civic market and the BEST depot, and smoother pedestrian flow. With Metro Yellow Line 2B coming up a few metres away and Green Line 4 set to touch Kurla signal junction, planners say the scheme is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to integrate Kurla into a seamless transport hub.
Local MLA Mangesh Kudalkar confirmed that the plan has cleared the architect department and awaits final approvals. “Once all departments give their comments, work can finally begin,” he said.
Voices from the ground
“We welcome this,” said Vaishali Korgaonkar, a college student. “Right now, it takes me 20 minutes just to exit. If SATIS is done properly, it will change everything.” Transport activist Subhash Gupta warned against half-measures: “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to integrate Kurla. If the design is half-hearted, commuters will pay the price for decades.”
But as Kurla East inches towards relief, residents of Kurla West feel ignored. “Everyone talks of the east, but what about thousands of us who walk to BKC or LBS Marg?” asked Jitendra Gupta, shopkeeper and Citizen Transport Committee member. He demanded that the alignment be extended up to Gol Building Junction and Bhabha Hospital to cover a vital missing link.
What SATIS promises
>> Redesigned dispersal zones at Kurla East
>> Integration of BEST depot + civic market plots
>> Seamless links to upcoming Metro corridors
>> Decongestion for buses, autos, and pedestrians
Kurla in numbers
7.5 L+ commuters use Kurla station daily (suburban + express trains)
1.8 L footfalls during morning peak hours alone
20+ minutes average exit time during rush hour
3 major modes converge here:
>> Suburban rail,
>> Metro Line 2B (Yellow),
>> Metro Line 4 (Green)
2025 SATIS plan finalised, awaiting approvals
