August 18, 2025: Mumbai’s suburban railway is preparing for its largest expansion in years, with 138 new trains scheduled to join the network over the next five years. While the additional services promise to ease pressure on overcrowded lines, officials have warned of a looming challenge: insufficient stabling space to park and maintain the expanded fleet.
The expansion coincides with major infrastructure projects, including the Virar–Dahanu third and fourth lines, the Borivali–Virar and Kalyan–Kasara corridors, and the Karjat–Panvel link. These will add new stations and car sheds, yet authorities are already scouting land outside Mumbai for stabling, as existing yards are operating at full capacity.
Western Railway (WR) currently runs 112 trains across 1,406 services but has room to stable just 116 trains. To keep pace, WR plans to build 61 new stabling lines by 2031 — 25 beyond Dahisar, 25 near Virar and 11 at Dahanu. Central Railway (CR), which operates 166 trains over 1,810 services, expects its fleet to rise to 304 trains under MUTP Phases 3 and 3A. However, of the 266 new stabling lines required, only 92 are planned, leaving a significant shortfall.
“The decision to expand stabling yards in areas like Virar, Dahanu and Panvel stems from acute land scarcity in central Mumbai. These new facilities will ease pressure and increase operational flexibility,” a senior MRVC official said.
Two new EMU car sheds are also planned — one at Vangaon for WR and another at Bhivpuri for CR — each capable of accommodating 80 to 100 trains, with advanced sensor-based inspection systems to reduce manual workloads. Experts caution that unless new yards are delivered alongside fleet expansion, operational disruptions may impact daily services. For Mumbai’s millions of commuters, the success of this balancing act will determine whether relief or further strain lies ahead.
Source: Urban Acres
