Western Railway to take 4 years to realign 6th line

The Western Railway (WR) will change the alignment of the 6th line, which separates passenger and local trains, causing the deadline of the project to be pushed further by a good four years.

The 6th line is designed to go from Mumbai Central to Borivali and was designed so that the timings of the passenger trains do not clash with local trains, which is the primary reason why it was built. The separation will also help the WR increase its number of local services.

The WR has been trying to negotiate with a trust that oversees and maintains a burial ground as well as a place of worship and has refused to let go of the land. As a result, the alignment of the railway track has been re-worked, and the WR, which is the executing body, has decided that since the work had been going almost nowhere for two years, it was time to move on. This alignment change will mean that the current rail overbridge (ROB) between Bandra and Khar will be moved closer to Khar, making way for the laying of tracks. “We will be taking this bridge a little closer towards Khar, thereby freeing up some space where we will eventually lay down railway tracks,” said a senior railway official on the condition of anonymity.

However, the change in alignment and construction of the new bridge will mean that date of completion of the work has been pushed for another four years. “Since work will be done while running trains side by side, it will take us a good four years. So, the desired improvement in suburban punctuality and increase in number of services will not be seen for a long time,” the official said.

This development comes days after the work on the Parel Terminus was started on the Central Railway (CR), which has a deadline of five years.