Mumbai: The Mumbai Central railway station building, constructed in 1930, will soon house a budget hotel on its third floor, in place of retiring rooms run by the railways that passengers with confirmed tickets can access at nominal cost. The project of refurbishing the retiring rooms and operating the budget hotel has been awarded to a private entity and the Western Railway (WR) expects to earn around ₹50 lakh from the licence agreement over a five-year period, officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.
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The third floor of the station building has 11 retiring rooms, including two large dormitories and nine rooms with attached toilets, each measuring around 200 square feet; every room also has a teakwood cupboard that is around 5-7 decades old. Only 3-4 retiring rooms are currently functional, and bookings can be made online or on the spot, with the daily tariff ranging ₹250-300, officials said.
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The move is part of the station’s broader redevelopment plan aimed at unlocking underutilised spaces while preserving the 96-year-old heritage structure, the officials said.
The initiative is part of the larger Mumbai Central station redevelopment project, which seeks to improve passenger amenities while creating additional commercial opportunities. As part of the redevelopment project, the WR has cleared around 1,500 square metres of encroached land outside the station. This space would be transformed into a passenger-centric plaza featuring a digital business lounge, food kiosks, premium catering outlets and improved circulation areas for commuters, officials said.
Built in 1930, Mumbai Central remains one of WR’s most prominent heritage stations and serves as a gateway for 18-20 long-distance trains connecting Mumbai with Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and several northern and western states.
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“Even the 3-4 functional rooms remain locked for months on end as there are few takers,” said a senior WR official. “All the retiring rooms will be officially shut on July 31 and preliminary repair and restoration work will commence on August 1.”
Another WR official said the retiring rooms would be upgraded with modern amenities but no physical changes would be made as the station building is classified as a heritage structure.
“The objective of the project is to revive unused heritage spaces and make them useful for passengers,” the official said. The refurbished budget hotel, expected to be ready in 3-4 months, would offer air-conditioned as well as non-air-conditioned accommodation, the official added.
Details regarding room tariffs and timeline for opening of the facility would be announced once refurbishment work progresses, officials said.
