The Mumbai local had not seen a massive makeover since the 1960s. Until the early years of the new century, as commuter numbers on Western Railway (WR) crossed 30 lakh, the existing local trains running on two lines between Borivli and Virar, were bursting at the seams. With practically no time for maintenance, the health of the rakes took a toll and the Churchgate to Virar ride would leave the fittest commuter drained. The boxy nine-car rakes, packed to the brim, could accommodate only 2,628 commuters. The lucky would get to rest their behinds on the hard 876 wooden seats, while about 1,752 passengers stood. It was a tiring two-hour ride.

After the city shut down its well-established tram network in 1964, it didn't develop an alternative, depending entirely on the suburban railway system run by the Indian Railways, a central government body whose priority was always the national network. This led to saturation, strangulating the suburban network, with no time for upgrades. It's only at the turn of the century that funds started coming in from international banks, and the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), a think-tank and rail body set up to upgrade the city's rail infrastructure, channelised the growth of both, WR and CR in a planned manner.