India, July 29 -- 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 Rs.50 lakh from the licence agreement over a five-year period, officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times.

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 third floor of the station build...