CSMT-Panvel high-speed rail corridor project goes off-track

The long-proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT)-Panvel high-speed corridor, which was put on hold due to financial concerns, is now likely to be scrapped due to technical constraints.

The project was envisioned a decade ago to ease congestion on the Harbour Line, which is saturated due to its limited slow train operations. With Navi Mumbai’s rapid growth, the upcoming international airport, and a special economic zone, the corridor was expected to handle rising commuter demand.

“The situation has changed significantly over the past decade, making it infeasible to build this corridor in Mumbai,” a senior Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) official said.

As per the original plan, the corridor was to start near Platform 18 on CSMT along P D’Mello Road, pass via Mansion Road, and enter the railway land at Reay Road before following the existing alignment till Mankhurd.

However, with the ongoing CSMT redevelopment, there is no space to build a station. Additionally, the construction of viaducts for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and the Sewri-Worli connector has left no right of way for the CSMT-Panvel high-speed corridor project.

“The corridor cannot be built above the Sewri-Worli connector as it would require an impractical height,” the MRVC official said. “For all practical purposes, this project will have to be shelved.”

The corridor, planned as an elevated line till Kurla and at ground level from Mankhurd onwards, was excluded from Phase-IIIA of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project in 2019. Officials cited competing infrastructure projects by MMRDA and CIDCO, including multiple Metro rail lines, MTHL, and the Virar-Alibaug multimodal corridor, which will have an eight-lane highway and a Metro line in the median.

The MRVC had planned 11 stations along the 47-km route, with Mumbai Port Trust granting in-principle approval for land use, subject to connectivity provisions. CIDCO had also proposed an alternative alignment via Palm Beach Road.

Originally projected to carry 39,000 peak-hour passengers by 2031, the corridor was expected to shift 30% of suburban and 20% of road commuters, with trains every 4.5-5 minutes.

However, with mounting technical and logistical challenges, the project is now all but abandoned.