Western Railway has begun fencing off the stretch of 150-metres along the railway tracks on east side of Bandra station to tackle garbage dumping and enhance safety.
The project aims to restore the area and protect vital rail infrastructure.
Also, it is a major step forward in addressing long-standing trespassing issues and maintaining a cleaner, more resilient transit network for Mumbai.
For the past few decades, slum dwellers have been regularly dumping garbage and dirt on and alongside the railway tracks, posing a health hazard as well as damaging railway infrastructure.
The move aims to curb illegal access from adjoining slum settlements and protect railway infrastructure that has been repeatedly damaged due to waste accumulation and human activity along the tracks.
Western Railway has begun fencing off the stretch of 150 metres along the railway tracks on east side of Bandra station to tackle garbage dumping and enhance safety.
— Western Railway (@WesternRly) March 11, 2026
The project aims to restore the area and protect vital rail infrastructure. Also, it is a major step forward in… pic.twitter.com/VcFxrfzqHX
According to WR officials, the installation of metal barricades began on February 28.
In the last two days, railway engineers have completed the preliminary survey work for the three-metre-high fence.
Pits for the foundation pillars are currently being dug. Excavation has been completed on 48 of the 50 pits and the foundation has been filled in 33 pits.
“Fences are being erected on a 150-metre strip parallel to the Harbour Line at Bandra East,” said a Western Railway official. “We have also completed the work of 37 metres.” He added.
The slums have been there for a long time to the east of Bandra station. The residents throw a lot of garbage on the adjacent tracks. Not only that, some residents even sit there to defecate. It is very dangerous for the passengers and others travelling by train in terms of health and cleanliness.
The railways are struggling to remove them, especially on the Harbour line, but the railway administration has always failed due to political obstacles as the people living in the slums are a vote bank for political parties, sources said.
The authorities decided to take up the work after a foreign tourist posted the condition of the tracks on social media.
The people living in the slums dry their clothes on the tracks or keep their furniture in a dangerous manner near the fifth railway line on which long-distance trains and locomotives run.
The garbage dumped on the tracks accumulates under the concrete sleepers, causing damage to public infrastructure. A Western Railway official said that last year alone, about 600 cubic metres of garbage was removed from the tracks.
Recently, Western Railway officials also replaced concrete sleepers damaged by garbage at a cost of INR 8-10 crore. The sleepers were replaced to extend the life of the railway assets, but they are difficult to maintain due to the dirt dumped on the tracks by slum dwellers.
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