CST-Panvel corridor to start from Carnac Bunder

The Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC) is set to officially recommend that the railway board start the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus-Panvel elevated corridor from Carnac Bunder. The recommendation comes in the wake of ambiguity as to where the first station of the mega-project would be constructed in South Mumbai.

The MRVC has come to the decision through its own independent field research and had additionally assigned the detailed project report (DPR) to an independent consultant. This DPR along with the bodies’ official recommendation will be submitted to the Railway Board this week.

This would be the biggest change in alignment of the project after it was decided that the section between Vashi and Belapur would be diverted to the Palm Beach Road. “The railways had initially thought of constructing the elevated corridor for CST station somewhere near the terminus, but we soon realised that there isn’t any space to do so. Now, the plan is to construct the station at Carnac Bunder and then take it via the Mansion Road to Dockyard Road station,” said a railway official on the condition of anonymity.

He added, “The section between Dockyard and Govandi will run parallel to the existing railway track and will be diverted on the Palm Beach Road between Vashi and Belapur. It will be redirected parallel to the railway track alignment up to Panvel.” Railway officials said that the state government has shown more interest in the CST- Panvel corridor than the Virar elevated corridor, since the planned Metro line will be running from Colaba to Seepz.