Western Railway has initiated a feasibility study for a proposed underground rail tunnel connecting Churchgate and Mumbai Central after receiving approval from the Railway Board, according to a report by Hindustan Times. The proposed project is aimed at enhancing rail capacity in South Mumbai, where limited space and land acquisition challenges have made the expansion of the existing railway network increasingly difficult.
As part of the next phase, railway authorities will undertake a Final Location Survey (FLS) to assess the tunnel’s technical feasibility, determine the most suitable alignment and evaluate future operational requirements. Depending on the study’s findings, the underground corridor could also be extended up to Prabhadevi.
The report noted that the survey will examine whether the proposed tunnel can serve as an alternative to the planned sixth railway line between Mumbai Central and Mahim. Work on the fifth railway line is nearing completion, but the sixth line has witnessed delays due to land acquisition issues and legal hurdles.
Although constructing underground tunnels is substantially more expensive than building elevated rail corridors, railway officials believe tunnelling offers a practical long-term solution in densely populated urban areas where acquiring additional land is both expensive and complex. Similar underground rail connectivity is also being explored by Central Railway on the Parel–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) section to address comparable infrastructure constraints.
Meanwhile, Western Railway is also progressing with infrastructure upgrades on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad–Delhi corridor to facilitate train operations at speeds of up to 160 kmph.
Signalling improvements, including the installation of the indigenous Kavach automatic train protection system, along with track and civil engineering works, are advancing steadily. The remaining bridge rehabilitation and track-related upgrades are expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
Following successful trials, the upgraded corridor is expected to significantly reduce travel time, enabling trains to cover the Mumbai–Delhi route in approximately 12 hours from 2027, marking a major milestone in Indian Railways’ speed enhancement programme.
Source: Swarajya
