Western Railway to raise Vasai tracks by 400 mm to curb monsoon flooding near Mumbai

Railway tracks in Vasai-Virar lie submerged beneath rainwater on Wednesday. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Seven years after track levels in its Vasai section were lifted by 200 mm, Western Railway (WR) is planning to elevate the tracks by 400 mm so trains can soar above Vasai-Virar's flood zone. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), which is laying the fifth and sixth lines between Borivli and Virar, has also been directed to build tracks passing the stretch at a much higher level. Work on raising two of the four existing tracks begins immediately.

The decision comes after a ground survey, readings, and assessment of the line between Mumbai Central and Virar by WR General Manager Ramashray Pandey on Tuesday.

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Tracks in a trough

The flooding problem, railway officials say, is rooted in how Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara have grown around the railway over the decades. Once surrounded by open spaces, marshy land and natural drainage channels, the corridor cuts through a densely built-up urban belt. Roads, buildings, and other infrastructure have come up at higher levels, while the old railway formation has largely remained where it was. The city has literally grown up around the tracks, leaving the railway in a trough.

Previous efforts

Western Railway General Manager Ramashray Pandey (centre) during the inspection of the stretch between Mumbai Central and Virar on Tuesday. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Track levels in the section were lifted by 200 mm in 2019 after the area saw severe flooding. Tracks were also raised last year in Vasai and earlier in Virar, too. But the rising levels of water due to urbanisation, complete lack of drainage facilities in the city with blocked drains and unplanned developments have led to higher water levels.

Lack of drainage

An official said, "There is no place to drain water out. It is literally a water world. During extreme rain, water from the neighbourhoods finds its way towards this lower railway corridor, overwhelming drains and flooding the tracks. This is the reasoning behind the new formula emerging after the ground survey: if the city around Vasai, Nalasopara and Virar has risen while the tracks have effectively gone down, raise the railway itself. The proposal to lift existing lines by up to 400 mm and substantially elevate future lines is aimed at correcting that decades-old level mismatch."

Lines 5 and 6 better planned

For the new fifth and sixth lines, the brownfield nature of the project presents the Railways with an opportunity. Unlike the century-old existing tracks, whose levels are constrained by stations, bridges, yards and adjoining infrastructure, the new lines are still being built. Their formation levels can therefore be designed around today's flood realities, particularly through the vulnerable Vasai-Nalasopara-Virar belt. The Western Railway has asked the MRVC to improve the design and build a flood-proof spine, that would allow trains to keep moving on the higher tracks even when older lines are hit by waterlogging.

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