There has been a continuous demand from commuters to run 15-coach local trains on Mumbai’s crowded Central Railway routes. To meet this need, the railway has begun platform extension work at multiple stations, with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw informing the Lok Sabha that work is currently underway at 34 stations.
This expansion will increase passenger capacity and help manage crowding more effectively. Currently, Central Railway has only two 15-coach trains running 22 daily services, while the remaining services use 12-coach trains, which have 25% less capacity.
Operating 15-coach trains requires longer platforms, but only 10 stations, CSMT, Byculla, Dadar, Kurla, Ghatkopar, Bhandup, Mulund, Thane, Dombivli, and Kalyan, currently have platforms long enough. Even at CSMT, only platform 7 is suitable, while platforms 5 and 6 need extensions. Although platform extension work has started at 34 stations, it is complete at only five, Vitthalwadi, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, Karjat, and Tanshet, with work pending at several stations along the Kalyan-Kasara and Kalyan-Khopoli routes.
The goal is to test the trains and start services by April, likely on the CSMT–Kalyan route. This expansion is part of a larger INR 33,000 crore effort to upgrade Mumbai’s suburban railway system, including construction of 238 non-AC 15-coach trains, which will make travel safer and more comfortable.
On Western Railway, similar 15-coach services already run on both fast and slow lines, but Central Railway currently operates only 22 fast services. Once completed, the project will significantly enhance passenger capacity and improve crowd management on the Central Railway network.
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