Mumbai Local Expansion | Central Railway Begins Survey for 7th & 8th Lines to Ease Long-Distance Train Load

Mumbai, Maharashtra: In a major push to upgrade Mumbai’s suburban railway infrastructure, Central Railway (CR) has started a field survey for the proposed 7th and 8th rail lines between Parel and Kalyan, part of a larger vision to establish the Parel Mega Terminus and decongest the network.

The 46-km corridor is expected to be completed by October 2025, and aims to segregate long-distance train operations from local suburban traffic. The 7th and 8th lines will connect Kalyan directly with the new terminus at Parel, ensuring smoother national rail movement without interfering with daily commuters.

While this futuristic plan is gaining momentum, delays in completing the existing 5th and 6th lines between Kurla and CSMT have drawn criticism. This 34-km stretch is vital to improve suburban rail capacity but has been hampered by land acquisition issues at Swadeshi Mill and Dharavi and ongoing construction like the Sion road overbridge and elevated platforms at Kurla.

Rail enthusiasts and urban planners have expressed mixed reactions. Architect Jagdeep Desai called for accelerated project execution and smarter timetabling, proposing a hub-and-spoke model for faster regional travel. Meanwhile, Vijay Aravamudhan, a regular commuter, recommended increasing crossover speeds and optimizing interchanges at Vikhroli, Mulund, Thane, and Dombivli for better traffic flow.

Upcoming Rail Projects in MMR:

• Kasara–Igatpuri 4th & 5th line
  
  

• Asangaon–Kasara 4th line
  
  

• Badlapur–Karjat 3rd & 4th line
  
  

• Karjat–Lonavala 4th & 5th line
  
  

• Panvel–Roha 3rd line
  
  

With the monsoon approaching and space at a premium, Mumbaikars are hopeful that these long-overdue infrastructure improvements won’t remain stuck on paper.