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Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Mumbai could get its first underground rail line
MUMBAI: Mumbai will get its first underground rail line, if all goes according to plan. Taking a cue from the Mumbai metro, whose Line 3 is the city's first-ever underground transport corridor, the Central Railway (CR) hopes to tunnel underground to build its fifth and sixth lines between Parel/Currey Road and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CMST) in South Mumbai. The route in question covers Phase 2 of a project to build a fifth and sixth railway corridor along the Kurla-Parel-CSMT stretch of the CR's suburban system. Phase 2 is a 7.4-km line from Parel to CSMT. Phase 1, from Kurla to Parel, covers 10.1 km and is currently underway. Given the considerable challenges in land acquisition and rehabilitating project affected persons (PAPs) for mega projects like these, the railway believes tunnelling under the city would skirt these issues, making it a smoother ride. After all, if the Mumbai metro can do it, why not the railways, they argue. Nonetheless, it's an ambitious plan, and it's still in its early stages. The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) and Central Railway have met a few times but are yet to chalk out a plan for the proposed underground rail line. The outcome of technical feasibility studies will determine which agency will execute the project. Railway officials said the line would be 7.4 km long and built 20-25 metres under the overland railway tracks. Aligning with them, it would skirt buildings, roads and underground utilities, which typically pose a huge challenge to any underground project. 'We are still analysing the possibility of going underground between Parel and CSMT stations for the fifth and sixth rail lines, and the necessary studies will be undertaken before finalising it. We are preparing terms of reference for the process, and will appoint a consultant,' a senior railway official told HT. 'We will have to assess the availability of land for tunnel boring machines to enter/exit at CSMT and Parel, which will be identified during the study. Once underground, we can have alternative alignments to end the tunnel at the CSMT end,' he said. Two entry/exit points are being considered for the proposed tunnel at the CSMT end – one inside the terminus and the other near the terminus. In the first instance, the tunnel can enter/exit CSMT inside the terminus, next to the suburban railway corridor or close to the long-distance train platforms, whichever is feasible, the official said. As an alternative, an entry/exit point on the P D'Mello side of CSMT may be considered. Here, however, there are two likely challenges. The alignment of the proposed Metro 11 line, an underground metro corridor from Wadala to CSMT, would have to be taken into consideration. The Central Railway would also have to take into account the underground CSMT station of Metro 3. The tentative cost of the entire project (Phase 1 and 2) if the underground corridor is approved is pegged at ₹3,000 crore, almost three times the original cost, with only overland lines. When originally sanctioned in 2008, the estimated cost was ₹890.89 crore. It has since been revised to ₹1,337 crore.
Hindustan Times
26-04-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
MUTP-4 focus on spurring development in ‘Third Mumbai'
Mumbai: The state government and the railways are working jointly on identifying rail corridors that will spur development in 'Third Mumbai', a 323-square kilometre area adjoining the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport and the Atal Setu. The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) will build these rail corridors under the fourth phase of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), which aims at improving transport infrastructure in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), sources in the railways told Hindustan Times. 'MUTP-4 will be futuristic. The broad vision will be on rail mobility and expansion of existing rail networks as well as development of new routes,' said a senior railway official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The project is still at a nascent stage and a consultant will be appointed soon to prepare a comprehensive plan and propose new rail corridors for the growth of 'Third Mumbai', officially named Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town, the official noted. 'The plan will be drawn up after speaking with Cidco (City and Industrial Development Corporation), which is building a metro rail network in Navi Mumbai.' Rail network The thrust of MUTP-4 will be on improvement of connectivity between KSC New Town, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and extending existing local train routes to areas experiencing rapid growth, said senior railway officials. 'New rail corridors will be planned in such a way that they will integrate with upcoming metro rail lines. We will also explore the possibility of developing access-controlled suburban railway stations, similar to metro stations,' a senior railway official told HT. Currently, officials from the state government and the railways are finalising the terms of reference for the project, based on which a consultant will be hired to prepare the plan. 'It will take around 2-3 years just to prepare the plan as it will have several greenfield rail corridors and railway stations,' said the railway official quoted earlier. Infra push Earlier this month, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) worth ₹4.07 lakh crore for developing infrastructure in the MMR, with a focus on 'Third Mumbai'. The MoUs aim to develop 'Third Mumbai' as a robust technology centre that will include data centres and global capability centres. The MMRDA has also secured non-binding lines of credit from premier financial institutions to facilitate infrastructure development in the area. Initiatives for which financial assistance has been secured include transport, housing, energy, infrastructure, multimodal connectivity, and smart urban development services. 'The new town will be planned with emphasis on eco-friendly development, addressing the needs of a growing population,' said an MMRDA official. 'It will elevate urban liveability and help realise the goal of making the MMR a $300 billion economy by 2030.' Last week, the MMRDA tied up with a Korean delegation to accelerate work on Third Mumbai. 'The interaction was focused on enhancing cooperation in smart city development, green mobility solutions, modernisation of infrastructure, AI-based urban management, fintech zones, and smart housing clusters,' said an MMRDA official. Third Mumbai is likely to have smart transit-oriented development zones, mixed-use townships, tech parks, industrial clusters, logistics parks, education hubs, data centres, fintech incubation hubs, and affordable housing, said MMRDA sources.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Barricading platform causes chaos at Badlapur station
MUMBAI: A day after the Central Railway (CR) barricaded platform 1 at Badlapur station, trouble started brewing on Monday. What was meant to ease congestion at this station led to confusion and crowding on Platform 2. Commuters, who until now could board and alight from either side of platform 1 and 1A, found barricades installed on one side. Those headed for CSMT were especially inconvenienced. Shweta Roy, who regularly boards the 9am train, said, 'When the train arrived, most of it extended beyond the home platform, causing chaos. Women were pushed, and those trying to alight had no space.' Angry commuters said railway officials should have been present at the site, to witness the consequences of their decision. 'The earlier arrangement ensured that the crowd inside Karjat-bound trains could comfortably travel until Badlapur. With the island platform closed, it has deprived passengers of an amenity. Areas in the north of Kalyan are growing and the number of commuters is swelling. From the passengers' point of view, installing barricades is problematic,' said Prafulla Shewale, who heads the Kalyan- Kasara-Karjat Railway Passengers' Association. Railway officials and the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) defended this step, saying it was required for the expansion of Badlapur station. 'There was no problem at Badlapur station due to the barricading of the platform. This was a necessary step for the future development of this station,' said an official from MRVC. Likewise, a CR official said that when the home platform was constructed a few months ago, the public had been informed. 'It was necessary for want of space, to construct an FOB and escalator landings. In the long run, it will ease crowding at Badlapur,' said a CR official. On Saturday night, CR authorities carried out a six-hour block, when they installed a metal fence to separate the platforms. The fencing was done on platforms 1-1A with tracks in between. Until now, commuters were boarding and alighting trains heading for Karjat on this island platform.
