The Mumbai suburban railway network, considered as the lifeline of the financial capital, is set to receive additional infrastructure improvements with projects worth Rs 33,690 crore.
As per a report by ET, the projects were approved under the presence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and officials from Mumbai Railway Development Corporation.
These new developments will further improve the connectivity of Mumbai’s suburban rail system and its adjoining metropolitan region.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the Western Railway (WR) will undertake the laying of fifth and sixth lines from Borivali to Virar, while the Central Railway (CR) will work on the third and fourth lines between Kalyan and Badlapur spanning 15 km.
Additionally, the extension of the Harbour line from Goregaon to Borivali spanning 7 km, was also approved during the meeting.
An official stated, all approvals received for the infrastructural development will enable the railways to run both suburban and long-distance trains more efficiently.
The Mumbai Suburban Railway is an extensive network of commuter rail services and inner suburban railway lines that connect the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to its surrounding suburbs, spanning across 390 km.
With 2,342 trains running every day, the system caters to the daily transportation needs of a large number of commuters.
The network is managed by two primary operators, namely the Central Railway and Western Railway.
This suburban railway system is considered to be one of the most heavily trafficked networks in the world, with a daily average ridership of over 7.5 million passengers, which accounts for roughly 40 per cent of the daily commuters on the Indian Railways network.
Furthermore, in a significant development earlier in March, six new railway stations were approved to be added to the Mumbai local network as they approach final stages of completion, informs Central Railway.
These include five stations on the new extension between Uran and Belapur, namely — Gavhanpada, Ranjanpada, Nhava-Sheva, Dronagiri and Uran.
Additionally, Dighe station will also start operations on the Thane-Vashi corridor.