Western Railway has sanctioned a Rs 98 crore coaching depot between Curry Road and Lower Parel, aiming to ease operational bottlenecks and expand train services from Mumbai Central and Dadar. The facility is expected to significantly enhance maintenance and stabling capacity, enabling the railway to introduce additional long-distance and suburban services in the coming years.
The new depot will feature two pit lines dedicated to maintenance and inspection of train rakes, along with seven stabling lines for parking trains overnight. Formal approval for the pit lines was granted on March 31, with construction expected to be completed within 15 months. Approval for the stabling lines is currently in the final stages, officials said.
“The new depot is strategically important as the existing pit lines at Mumbai Central are operating at full capacity with no scope for expansion,” said railway officials, highlighting that the facility will allow better utilisation of resources and free up existing lines for additional train services. Located roughly 2 km from Mumbai Central and 2.5 km from Dadar, the depot is operationally positioned to serve both major terminals efficiently.
With Western Railway expanding its fleet, including Vande Bharat trains, AC local services, and 15-coach suburban trains, the Curry Road depot will provide vital capacity for maintenance, cleaning, and overnight stabling, ensuring smoother operations and enabling future service expansion.
Pankaj Singh, DRM of Mumbai Central Division, said, “Over the past year, we have spent nearly ₹22,000 crore in capital expenditure to enhance passenger facilities. In addition, construction of new depots and corridors is underway to increase the number of suburban as well as mail and express train services, and our target is to complete these projects soon.”
Project Snapshot:
- Location: Between Curry Road & Lower Parel
- Cost: Rs 98 crore
- Pit Lines: 2 (Maintenance)
- Stabling Lines: 7 (Parking)
- Completion Target: 15 months
- Distance from Mumbai Central: 2 km
- Distance from Dadar: 2.5 km
- Benefit: Enables introduction of new train services from Mumbai Central & Dadar
The depot marks a crucial step in Western Railway’s ongoing infrastructure push to modernise operations and expand capacity across Mumbai’s key railway terminals.
Source: The Free Press Journal
