Mumbai locals to get relief from overcrowding as MUTP projects expand rail network, safety upgrades

To directly tackle overcrowding, 238 rakes of 12-car trains equipped with automatic doors have been approved. Representational pic

Mumbai's daily commuters on the suburban rail network, one of the busiest in the world handling around 3,200 suburban trains and 120 originating Mail/Express services every day, can expect relief from overcrowding and improved safety as Indian Railways pushes ahead with ambitious infrastructure projects.

In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Friday, Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw detailed steps being taken to increase train-handling capacity at key stations and expand the network under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) phases.

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Among the highlights are completed or ongoing works such as additional pit lines at Bandra Terminus, platform extensions at Mumbai Central for longer coaches, new platforms at Jogeshwari and Dadar, and stabling lines at Virar, Dahanu Road, and Mira Road.

Sanctioned MUTP projects worth thousands of crores include critical line extensions and new corridors:

CSMT-Kurla 5th & 6th Line (Rs 891 crore)

Mumbai Central-Borivali 6th Line Rs 919 crore)

Harbour Line extension from Goregaon to Borivali Rs 826 crore)

Borivali-Virar 5th & 6th Line (Rs 2,184 crore)

Virar-Dahanu Road 3rd & 4th Line (Rs 3,587 crore)

Panvel-Karjat Suburban Corridor (Rs 2,782 crore)

Kalyan-Asangaon 4th Line and other yard remodelling works.

Automatic-door rakes and Kavach anti-collision system enhance safety, reduce train accidents

To directly tackle overcrowding and enhance passenger safety, 238 rakes of 12-car trains equipped with automatic doors have been sanctioned under MUTP-III and IIIA at a cost of Rs 19,293 crore, with procurement already in progress.

The government also stated that there has been a 90 per cent decline in consequential train accidents - from 135 in 2014-15 to just 14 in 2025-26 (up to February 28). The Kavach anti-collision system (Version 4.0) has been commissioned on 1,452 route kilometres on high-density routes such as Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Howrah, alongside extensive installation of optical fibre cables, telecom towers, and trackside equipment.

The Union Minister noted that while overall accident fatalities are tracked state-wise by the National Crime Records Bureau, figures for the Mumbai Suburban section are not published separately.

Commuters can follow official updates from Western and Central Railway for any temporary service adjustments during construction phases.