Mumbai: A proposal that could revolutionise Mumbai’s suburban railway by running trains every three minutes – even at crowded stations such as Kalwa and Badlapur – remains shelved, despite being cleared in principle by Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
High-Frequency Train Proposal Ignored by Central Railway
The plan, presented to Vaishnaw last year and praised for its scope, has not been taken forward by the Central Railway (CR). It was absent from the set of solutions CR submitted to the Bombay High Court earlier this year during hearings on crowding and accidents on suburban trains, an omission that has raised eyebrows, especially after the Mumbra tragedy.
Drawing inspiration from global metro systems, the blueprint calls for sector-based operations by splitting the suburban network into eight corridors: CSMT-Thane (slow), Thane-Kalyan (slow), KalyanKasara (slow), CSMT-Kalyan (fast), CSMT-Panvel (slow), Belapur-Uran (slow), and Thane-Nerul/Vashi (slow), among others. With the existing infrastructure, the plan claims services could be tripled from the outset – taking the daily tally to more than 5,000 trains from the current 1,810, which CR often struggles to operate in full. Passenger interchanges at key hubs such as Thane and Kalyan form a central feature of the proposal, with technical details already worked out. Proponents describe it as a potential gamechanger for the country’s busiest suburban network.
Ambitious Train Plan Sparks Debate
Yet, the plan has triggered sharp debate. While railway officials highlight its promise of higher frequency and streamlined services, commuters and insiders question its practicality, warning of disruptions and inconvenience caused by mandatory transhipments. For now, the ambitious plan remains in cold storage, endorsed by the minister but sidelined by the system.
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