Indian Railways Speeds Up Mumbai Rail Expansion With Kalyan–Murbad Line, Suburban Capacity Upgrades And Bullet Train Construction

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informed the Lok Sabha of the significant investments and project activities currently underway across Maharashtra to expand suburban capacity, build new lines and advance the country’s first high-speed rail corridor.

One of the key initiatives is the proposed 28 km Kalyan–Murbad railway line, sanctioned at an estimated cost of RS 836 crore under a cost-sharing arrangement between the Centre and the Maharashtra government.

The project, declared a Special Railway Project to accelerate land acquisition, requires around 214 hectares of land, with acquisition proposals already submitted and currently progressing through different stages.

Authorities are also working to strengthen train-handling capacity in the Mumbai metropolitan region, which already manages roughly 120 originating long-distance Mail and Express services and nearly 3,200 suburban trains daily.

Infrastructure upgrades have been undertaken at several major stations. These include additional platforms, pit lines and stabling lines at locations such as Bandra Terminus, Jogeshwari, Dadar, Vasai Road, Kalyan and Lokmanya Tilak Terminus.

Facilities at stations including Virar, Dahanu Road and Mira Road have also been expanded to improve train stabling capacity.

In parallel, platform extensions are underway at 34 suburban stations to accommodate longer 15 car electric multiple unit (EMU) trains, a step expected to significantly increase passenger-carrying capacity across the network.

Large-scale suburban railway expansion projects are also being implemented through the Mumbai Urban Transport Project phases II, III and IIIA, which together represent investments exceeding Rs 52,000 crore.

These projects include new railway lines, elevated corridors and yard remodelling works designed to decongest heavily used routes.

The government has also sanctioned 238 new suburban train rakes equipped with doors under these programmes to improve safety and increase passenger capacity.

Progress has also been reported on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Project, India’s first bullet train corridor.

Civil works in the Gujarat section have advanced considerably, with foundation and pier construction largely completed and track bed work progressing steadily.

Construction is also continuing across the Maharashtra section, including the underground station complex at Bandra Kurla Complex.

Meanwhile, under the Gati Shakti Multi‑Modal Cargo Terminal policy, 128 cargo terminals have already been commissioned nationwide, including nine in Maharashtra, to strengthen rail-based freight logistics.

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