The Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3A, which was sanctioned in 2019 to cater to the future requirements of suburban traffic in Mumbai and to upgrade the existing system for enhanced capacity and safety, has finally received its first booster dose of Rs 100 crore from the State Government. According to Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation's spokesperson, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has released Rs 100 crore for the project, as was assured in a recent review meeting with the Government of Maharashtra (GoM).
Railways have already spent over Rs 300 crore on the project, but due to the non-issuance of funds by the State Government, the project's pace was affected. However, with the first batch of funds now received, an official of the railway has confirmed that the ongoing work of MUTP 3A will definitely speed up. The project is being funded on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis by the Ministry of Railways and the Government of Maharashtra, with a total estimated cost of Rs 33,690 crore.
According to the Chairman & Managing Director of Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation Ltd (MRVC), Subhash Chand Gupta, "With clarity on the availability of funds and the issuance of a revised GR by GoM for MUTP 3A, we are working in tandem to give momentum to various projects under MUTP III & 3A both."
MUTP 3A includes the 5th and 6th line between Borivali and Virar, the 3rd and 4th line between Kalyan and Badlapur, station improvement, communication-based train control system, procurement of rolling stock, development of an additional maintenance facility, remodeling of Kalyan railway yard, and a few other important projects of the city.
The 5th and 6th line between Borivali and Virar aims to segregate the suburban corridors from long-distance train movement, and after its completion, a separate corridor for suburban train operations will be available between Borivali and Virar. Currently, this section has four lines, and the sanctioned cost of this project is Rs 2,184.02 crore, which is likely to be completed by March 2026.
The survey of the 3rd and 4th line between Kalyan and Badlapur has been completed, and the alignment of the proposed lines has been finalized. The general design of four road over bridges and 44 other bridges (out of 50) has been approved by Central Railway. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 1,509.87 crore, and the target for completion is March 2026.
The communication-based train control (CBTC) system project is expected to reduce the headway between two trains, thereby generating an additional path for the introduction of nearly 20% additional trains on the same track. MRVC is working on this project, and the sanctioned cost of the project is Rs 5,928.33 crore, with a target date of completion of December 2026.
Under the Station Improvement project, 18 stations of the suburban section will be upgraded. The survey has been completed for all 18 stations, and the general design has been submitted to the concerned railway authorities. Out of 18, the general design of 17 stations has been approved, and one is under process. Apart from that, contracts for five stations have also been awarded, while the retendering process for balance stations is ongoing.
Under the Procurement of Rolling Stock project, 191 air-conditioned local trains of 12 cars each will be procured for the suburban rail network of
