MRVC takes off, takes MUTP II along

MUMBAI, JULY 13: The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), one of the critical institutions that would be implementing the Mumbai Urba...

MUMBAI, JULY 13: The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), one of the critical institutions that would be implementing the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-II) has been incorporated. The corporation, with an equity of Rs 25 crore was incorporated on July 12. MRVC will be responsible for implementation of the Rs 5,000 crore railway projects under the MUTP-II on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis between the state and the railways.

The first such railway body that will be totally entrusted with the city’s rail infrastructure needs, the corporation will be governed by a board of directors consisting of a part-time chariman, managing director, three full-time directors from the Indian Railways and two full-time directors from the Maharashtra government. It will also have two part-time official government directors, one each from the state and railways, and two part-time non-officials, one each nominated from the state and the railways.

Born of detailed studies on Mumbai’s traffic needs as enumerated in the W SAitkins report of early 1990, the MRVC was considered one of the main institutional changes required for the city, which despite having the country’s largest number of rail commuters did not have a local body to regulate it. Its constitution was the main condition put forward by the World Bank for sponsoring the Rs 7,000 crore MUTP-II. And the refusal on the part of the railways to separate a chunk of its body for suburban railways was the reason for the WB’s letter in 1997 threatening to withdraw from the project.

However, fearing an adverse reaction from the city dwellers, both the state government and Indian Railways agreed to the terms for the MRVC. A function to celebrate the historic occasion on July 14, however, has been cancelled considering the model code of conduct that has come into force.

The following are the projects under the MUTP-II that are to be considered by the MRVC:

Optimisation of suburban operations through 12-car rakes on CR and WR.

AC-DC conversion of the entiresuburban section.

EMU (electrical multiple units) re-manufacturing.

Capacity enhancement with the 5th and 6th line between Kurla and Thane.

5th line between Santacruz and Borivli.

Quadrupling of Borivli-Virar tracks.

6th line between Borivli-Santacruz.