Expansion work of harbour line expected to begin after monsoon

The process of preparing the report of the expansion project from Goregaon railway station to Borivali station on Harbour line is going on very slowly and it will take six months to get this report. As a result, the Expansion of the harbour route is expected to take place after the monsoons only.

However, the actual expansion work is expected to begin after September. Hence, the passengers on the Harbour route will have to wait some more to take a ride on this route.

Harbour route runs between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) to Panvel, CSMT to Andheri, Goregaon. Earlier, instead of Goregaon, Harbour service was started from CSMT to Andheri. Many commuters were traveling between CSMT and Andheri on the Harbour route and then had to change the trains on the Western Railway side.

Considering the demand of passengers, it was decided to extend the harbor service to Goregaon in 2017. The project was being carried out by Mumbai Railway Development Corporation (MRDC). After facing endless difficulties, local trains actually started running till Goregaon from March 2019. After a good response from the passengers, it was decided to extend the harbour service from Goregaon to Borivali.

Last year, the Western Railways had already begun preparations to appoint a consultant for survey, planning, project cost, land acquisition, and other things related to the project. Proposals of interest were invited in February, 2020. At that time, about 13 consultants showed their interest. However, due to lockdown, the work came to halt. The consultant was to be appointed in November and was expected to submit the report in three to four months thereafter. But due to technical difficulties, it is likely to take another five to six months to complete the report.

After this expansion project, there will be an attempt to extend the harbor from Borivali to Virar. Currently, there are five routes to Borivali and the sixth route will also be included soon. This work will be done through MRDC. Therefore, it might be possible to go directly from CSMT to Virar by Harbour line in the future.