The Mumbai Division of the Central Railway is currently undertaking 12 major rail projects, including a new suburban corridor, Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw announced in a social media post late Friday.
Among the key developments, Phase 1 of the new fifth and sixth lines between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla is slated for completion by the end of next year. This project aims to enhance local train services by separating local and mail/express train movements.
In addition, the construction of the sixth rail line between Mumbai Central and Borivali is in progress. Vaishnaw revealed that the 8.9 km Khar-Goregaon stretch has already been completed and commissioned, with rapid progress on the remaining Goregaon-Borivali section.
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The extension of the Harbour Line from Goregaon to Borivali is also underway. This project is expected to alleviate congestion on the Andheri-Borivali section. Vaishnaw noted that land acquisition for this extension is currently in progress.
Moreover, utility shifting work for the fifth and sixth rail lines between Borivali and Virar is advancing. These new lines will help ease the strain on the Borivali-Palghar fast corridor, which will be reserved exclusively for suburban trains.
On another front, earthwork and bridge construction are ongoing for the quadrupling of the Virar-Dahanu Road section. Vaishnaw emphasized that this infrastructure project is crucial for enhancing rail connectivity and reducing congestion in the region.
Significantly, tunneling and bridge construction are in progress for the Panvel-Karjat rail line, which will introduce a new suburban corridor connecting Navi Mumbai with the Raigad district. This project is part of broader efforts to expand rail access to previously untapped areas within the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Additionally, the first phase of the Dighagaon station has been commissioned, and land acquisition is in progress for the remaining sections of the 3.3 km Airoli-Kalwa elevated link. This project aims to create seamless train connections between Vashi-Belapur and Kalyan.
The fourth rail line between Kalyan and Asangaon is also moving forward, with land acquisition currently underway. This project will significantly improve local train connectivity between Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), enabling more frequent local train services.
Meanwhile, utility shifting, earthwork, and bridge construction are in progress for the third and fourth rail lines between Kalyan and Badlapur. Vaishnaw highlighted that this project will speed up train services and increase the number of local trains to meet growing demand in the area.
The first phase of the Kalyan-Kasara third line, from Asangaon to Kasara, is expected to be completed by next year. Once finished, this project will reduce congestion on the busy Kalyan-Kasara Suburban and mail express routes, improving overall train mobility.
Further enhancing the network, a Naigaon-Juichandra double chord line is under construction to prevent engine reversals at Vasai for trains originating from Mumbai Central, Dadar, or Bandra Terminus, destined for Konkan Railway and southern India.
Lastly, a 5-km chord line between Nilaje and Kopar is also being constructed. This line is expected to reduce train travel time between Vasai and Panvel by approximately 15 to 20 minutes.