Mumbai: Borivali-Virar 5th, 6th lines project hits 30 per cent progress; completion targeted for 2029

Relocation of railway structures at Dahisar, Mira Road, Bhayander, Naigaon, Nalasopara, and Vasai Road is either complete or at an advanced stage. FILE PIC

The Borivali-Virar 5th and 6th Lines Project under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project-IIIA (MUTP-IIIA) has achieved 30 per cent physical progress and is targeted for completion in 2029, the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Ltd (MRVC) said on Sunday.

The project, sanctioned at a cost of Rs 2,184 crore, is a major capacity augmentation project on the Western Railway suburban corridor.

The 26-km stretch between Borivali and Virar is being expanded to segregate long-distance trains from suburban local services, with dedicated corridors planned for both. As part of the project, the slow-line platforms at Dahisar, Bhayander, Naigaon, and Virar will be relocated to accommodate the additional lines. At Dahisar, the platforms will shift north, while those at Bhayander will move westward and Virar's platforms will be shifted slightly south.

Significant progress has been achieved in land acquisition and statutory clearances. Possession of 11.929 hectares of salt pan land at Umelman in Vasai has been obtained, while acquisition and statutory processes for the remaining land are being pursued. Forest and mangrove clearances have also been obtained.

Civil works have gathered momentum across the corridor, MRVC said. Relocation of railway structures at Dahisar, Mira Road, Bhayander, Naigaon, Nalasopara, and Vasai Road is either complete or at an advanced stage. Work on the construction and modification of foot overbridges (FOBs) and platforms at Dahisar, Naigaon, and Nalasopara is also in progress.

Construction of three major bridges, three minor bridges and one road overbridge (ROB), along with associated earthwork, is underway. Work on the two important bridges, Bridge Nos 73 and 75, is progressing, with well foundations and fabrication works underway.

5th, 6th lines between Borivali and Virar to boost capacity, segregate train services

Around 1.30 lakh cubic metres of earthwork has been completed in the Bridge No 75-Naigaon and Panju Island stretches. Under another earthwork package, approximately 70,000 cubic metres of earthwork has also been completed.

Sunil G Udasi, Chief Manager (Corporate Coordination), MRVC, said, "The additional 5th and 6th lines between Borivali and Virar will provide much-needed additional rail capacity on this heavily utilised corridor and facilitate better segregation of suburban and other train services".

MRVC said it is progressing the works in coordination with Western Railway and the authorities concerned, while simultaneously pursuing land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R), and statutory processes for timely completion of the project.