CSMT–Kurla Rail Expansion: CR's 5th and 6th Line Project Moves Ahead After 20-Year Delay

The long-delayed plan to build the 5th and 6th railway lines between CSMT and Kurla is finally moving ahead. The project was stuck for over 20 years due to land issues. The last major hurdle was the Swadeshi Mill in the Chunabhatti–Kurla and Dharavi stretch. 

On January 20, 2026, Central Railway (CR) officially completed land acquisition at Swadeshi Mill, Kurla, and Vidyavihar. With this step, the route is now clear for final site clearance and construction work to move forward.

Central Railway has now achieved a breakthrough and is preparing to demolish Project Affected Persons (PAP) structures at Swadeshi Mill. As per reports, all 714 eligible PAP households have already been rehabilitated and resettled by the MMRDA. Families have been allotted alternate housing, and shifting is currently underway.

Preparations are now underway for demolition. Equipment, labour, and machinery are being arranged at the site. Security arrangements have also been requested from the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), and Mumbai Police Zone 5 to manage the operation.

The demolition work is expected to be completed within one month. After this, construction activities will begin. However, the work will start once other ongoing infrastructure works, including the Sion bridge project, are completed. The upcoming Prabhadevi bridge has already been designed with provisions for the 5th and 6th lines, so no future obstacles are expected along that section.

The project was approved nearly 17 years ago. Its goal was to separate long-distance mail, express, and freight trains from suburban services on one of Mumbai’s busiest railway corridors. After completion, the existing 3rd and 4th lines will be used fully for suburban trains, while the new 5th and 6th lines will be dedicated to non-suburban traffic like freight and mail trains.

At present, CR operates one of the busiest suburban networks in the world. More than 1,820 suburban trains run daily on the CSMT–Kurla–Kalyan route. Of these, around 800 to 900 trains run on the main line. The system carries nearly 38 lakh passengers every day.

As per Navbharat Times, the challenge on the CSMT to Parel route is that building a sixth line in this section is not possible due to lack of land. Space constraints are a big issue for expansion. However, the fifth line will still be built. Planning work is ongoing, and engineers are working within the limited available space.