Title - Western Railway sets wheels in motion on link to south

The Western Railway (WR) has pushed the envelope on its plan to build a 2km-long ‘missing link’ that will give commuters from Bandra to Dahisar direct access to trains headed towards south Indian and the Konkan region. It has now submitted its proposal to the railway board for approval.

The stretch is expected to come up between the WR’s mainline and the Vasai-Diva line. “A chord line between Naigaum and Juchandra stations will be built to offer connectivity. There are neither [obstructing] structures in place nor are there rehabilitation issues involved. The line will come as a huge relief for those Mumbaikars in the western suburbs who want to travel down south and to the Konkan region,” explains a senior WR official. The proposed stretch is also expected to ease traffic congestion on the roads.

“Once the stretch is operational, there will be at least 50,000 fewer commuters on the city’s roads in a month. As of now, residents from Bandra to Dahisar have to take a train or the road and travel all the way to Mumbai CST or Dadar to catch a train to south India or to switch to the Konkan Railway. The 2km-long stretch will give [them] direct access to Konkan- and south-bound trains,” says another senior official