Mumbai, Jan. 31 -- Traffic congestion and bottlenecks continue to plague the area outside Bandra railway station (East) despite the recent reopening of a pedestrian skywalk, with commuters and transport operators saying its benefits remain limited. The 680-metre-long skywalk, inaugurated on January 26, connects directly to the railway station's foot overbridge and allows pedestrians to avoid walking on the crowded, uneven, and narrow Anant Kanekar Marg and cross the Western Express Highway safely. While it has eased access for officegoers travelling between Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and the station, its impact appears to be limited to a small segment of commuters for now. "It's not practical to walk all the way to the station [from my office]," said Sandeep Potul, a professional working in BKC. "The only saving grace is that the escalator of the skywalk perfectly opens up at the point where we alight from the bus. So, I can now escape navigating through traffic congestion and crowds on the road to the station." Autorickshaw drivers said the skywalk has neither reduced congestion nor affected their business. "Our business has not been affected in any way," said Rafique Shaikh, a member of the Shiv Sena-affiliated Autorickshaw Chalak Malak Sangthana. "We continue to get the same number of customers as before." Shaikh blamed traffic snarls on large app-based buses operating in the area. "They ply almost empty to the station, blocking and creating jams. We would be happy to charge the regular Rs.40 per seat, but the traffic jams continue to affect us, forcing us to ask extra from passengers," he added. Officials from BEST also said the turnaround time for their buses remains a concern at BKC. "Our BEST buses halt at the Bandra bus station opposite Prakashgad. While it may have become comfortable for the commuters to get down and take up the skywalk, for BEST buses, the turnaround time has not been affected in any way," said a BEST supervisor. For some commuters, however, the skywalk has encouraged walking. Guruprasad Rangle, who works at Maker Maxity around 1.5 km from Bandra station, said crossing the highway has become significantly easier. "I always preferred walking to the station. After the earlier skywalk was taken down, I have been struggling to walk down from BKC. The monsoons used to be particularly bad. But now, it looks like I may not even need an umbrella to walk from Kala Nagar to Bandra station, thanks to the skywalk," he added. Students from colleges in the Government Colony have also benefited. "I used to be particularly scared of crossing over at the Small Causes Court junction where the AK Marg meets the highway, since vehicles come in from multiple points," said Mugdha K, a college student. "Now, it's a breeze."...