Western Railway Begins Preparations for Flyover Rebuild to Facilitate Sixth Line Expansion.

Western Railway is exploring advanced construction methods to rebuild the Bandra-Khar Road flyover within a 45-day block period, significantly reducing the originally estimated six-month construction timeline for the Mumbai Central-Borivali sixth line project.

A senior railway official said on Thursday that the zone is evaluating innovative construction techniques to complete the flyover reconstruction in a shorter duration while minimising disruption to Mumbai’s suburban train services.

The sixth line project, being implemented under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) Phase II in collaboration with the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), is aimed at enhancing capacity on one of the country’s busiest railway corridors.

Spanning 30.04 km between Mumbai Central and Borivali, the project is expected to improve train punctuality, enable additional suburban services and create better segregation between suburban and long-distance train operations.

Railway officials said the Khar Road-Borivali section has already been commissioned, while work is now focused on the challenging Mumbai Central-Khar Road stretch. The section involves complex engineering challenges due to dense urban development, limited land availability, utility relocation requirements and construction of multiple railway structures.

The project has made substantial progress in planning and execution. Land acquisition is nearly complete, with only 88.6 square metres of government land at Shakti Mill in Lower Parel pending final formalities. All five Engineering Sanction Proposals have been approved, while utility shifting work is underway, with 14 of the 29 identified utilities already relocated.

Infrastructure development is also progressing, with four of the five planned Electric Interlocking buildings completed. Signalling and telecommunications work has commenced under three sanctioned packages, while contracts for electrical foundations and overhead equipment works have been awarded.

Western Railway has adopted a phased execution plan involving the construction of 15 bridges, around 13.3 km of earthwork, new island platforms, foot overbridges, station facilities and track infrastructure.

The project also includes rehabilitation of affected families in Bandra East, construction of new Platforms 7 and 8 at Bandra, modification of foot overbridges, and relocation of railway structures and utilities at Mahim, Lower Parel and Mumbai Central.

Officials said modern construction techniques, including precast segmental construction, will be used wherever feasible to accelerate project completion and reduce inconvenience to commuters.

Once completed, the sixth line is expected to improve operational efficiency, increase passenger capacity and strengthen rail connectivity across Mumbai’s western suburban corridor.