Mumbaikars travelling on the harbour railway line can expect some relief with the railways proposing two additional lines along the route connecting Mumbai and its neighbouring city of Navi Mumbai. State government’s urban development department (UDD) has received a proposal from the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) about the new lines, which the government is now considering sending to the World Bank for inclusion in the Mumbai Urban Transport Project II (MUTP-II). “We are looking at the proposal. We may send it to World Bank for inclusion in MUTP-II. The railways are convinced that the new lines can be laid for harbour line,” said a senior UDD official. Currently, projects worth Rs 3700 crore, including additional pair of lines between Thane-Diva stations, sixth line between Mumbai Central and Borivali, and extention of harbour line to Goregaon station, are proposed under the MUTP-II. With large scale development projects — new airport to take the load off Mumbai airport and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) approved in the city — efforts are being made to increase connectivity between the two cities. While the railways has already made a demand for increasing the number of coaches from nine to twelve along the harbour line trains, the additional new lines, if created, would facilitate commuting between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The state government is already constructing Mumbai Trans Harbour Link Project, which will provide a road and rail link between Sewri in Mumbai and Nhava in Navi Mumbai to the north. While several railway stations built along the harbour lines already have the capacity to handle the two additional lines, the older stations like Reay Road, Sandhurst Road and Dockyard Road have been constructed in the pre-independence era. “The railways are of the opinion that the older stations can also be extended. If need be they will construct additional bridges to extend the lines. The newer railway stations can take in the additional lines,” said the official.
