Virar-Dahanu Quadrupling: MRVC Uses Special Soil Technique To Tackle Marshy Land Challenges

Mumbai: Marshy stretches and highly compressible black cotton soil are emerging as a major engineering challenge in the Virar-Dahanu Road quadrupling project, prompting Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) to adopt a special ground-improvement technique to make the land strong enough to carry new railway tracks. The Prefabricated Vertical Drain (PVD) method is being used in areas such as Wadhiv Island to speed up soil settlement and reduce the risk of future track deformation.

Black Cotton Soil Delays Natural Settlement

The problem is particularly significant because black cotton soil in these stretches extends up to three to four metres below the existing ground. The soil holds a large amount of water and settles very slowly when a heavy railway formation is built over it. Under normal conditions, achieving the required settlement could take several years. MRVC is therefore installing vertical drains to provide an easier path for the trapped water to escape. This allows the soil to consolidate faster and makes the ground suitable for railway construction.

How PVD Technology Works

Under the PVD method, thin vertical drains made of polypropylene and covered with a geotextile filter are inserted into the ground using hydraulic machinery. The drains are placed at intervals of around 0.5 metre to 1.5 metres, depending on the soil condition and the required waiting period. Once installed, water trapped inside the soil can travel towards these drains and escape more quickly, accelerating the consolidation process.

According to MRVC, the technique can bring the time required to achieve around 90% settlement to less than six months, compared with several years under natural conditions. The method is recommended by the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO) under its latest earthwork guidelines, RDSO/2020/GE:IRS-004. MRVC officials said faster consolidation will not only help construction progress but also reduce future track maintenance and improve safety once trains begin operating.

Project Progress Under MUTP-III

The ground improvement work is part of the ₹3,578-crore Virar-Dahanu Road quadrupling project under MUTP-III, which has achieved 64% physical progress as of July 2026. The project will add two railway lines to the existing corridor.

Across the project, about 30.35 lakh cubic metres of earthwork and 2.48 lakh cubic metres of blanketing have been completed. Four RUBs, one ROB, 13 major bridges and 54 minor bridges have also been completed, along with around 34.7 km of drainage works.

The engineering challenge is particularly visible at Important Bridge 92 and Bridge 93, where major foundation and superstructure works are progressing. At Bridge 92, all 576 piles, 68 pile caps and 68 piers have been completed, along with 264 girders and 132 deck slabs. At Bridge 93, 476 piles have been completed.

At Virar station, platforms 3A and 4A have been widened from 6.5 metres to 10 metres and extended by 60 metres to accommodate 15-car suburban trains. The platforms have been commissioned and 15-car EMU services between Virar and Dahanu Road have started.

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