Mumbai: Work on extending harbour line to Borivli to begin next year

A harbour line local train near Kurla. Once the extension is done, commuters can cover 72 kms between Borivli and Panvel at a cost of Rs 20. File pic

The crucial local train project linking Navi Mumbai and south Mumbai to Borivli in western suburbs is all set to begin in the new year. A three-km elevated stretch over Malad could be the possible solution to extend the existing harbour line which connects Panvel to Goregaon at present. An alignment survey of the project is expected to be complete by December 2021.

"I travel from Andheri to Panvel and it is a very convenient route, without having to change trains at Dadar or Thane. If the existing harbour line is extended all the way to Borivli, nothing like it," said Shailesh Goyal of the Western Railway Zonal Users' Consultative Committee.

Extending the harbour line to Borivli has been a hassle due to limitations in terms of land and alignment issues. Once the project is complete, commuters can cover the 72 km distance between Borivli and Panvel at a cost of R20 for a single journey.

"If all goes as per planning, the work could begin by 2022 itself," Western Railway's chief public relations officer Sumit Thakur said.

The 7.08-km extension of the harbour line is part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-III (MUTP-III) proposed by the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation. It was sanctioned by the railway board in 2019 and is estimated to cost Rs 745.31 crore, which will be executed by the Western Railway.

MUTP-3 also includes other projects such as the implementation of new communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling system, introduction of two more lines between Borivli and Virar, and upgradation and modernisation of 16 suburban stations.

7.08
Length in kilometres of the proposed extension