Imagine having to lug heavy baggage from platform one of the suburban concourse at CSMT to platform 18 at the other end. A foot overbridge at the north end of the suburban station spans the 400-m distance between the two points, but negotiating staircases, escalators and elevators is hardly a cakewalk. A travelator would make a world of difference in such a scenario, but plans to install moving walkways in busy stations have been stuck in red tape for months.

A plan prepared by the Mumbai division of Central Railway (CR) last year has been stuck due to approvals and specification issues. Senior citizens and passengers have always expressed the need of travelators at city stations, which have a limited number of lifts. Travelators, also known as moving walkways, are conveyor belts that transport people across short to medium distances. They are often found in public places like airports, train stations or shopping malls.