Mumbai Local News: Soon, Harbour Line Trains Likely To Terminate at Sandhurst Road

Commuters on Mumbai's harbour line might soon find their trains terminating at Sandhurst Road rather than the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). This change is part of a proposal presented to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during his recent visit to the city. The goal is to make space for more long-distance trains.

If the plan is approved, suburban trains on the harbour line would stop at the elevated Sandhurst Road station. Passengers wanting to continue to Masjid or CSMT would have to either drive or move to the main line station and catch a train from the slow platform. 

For this, the railways are considering building a 300-metre-long over bridge linking Sandhurst Road with Masjid or constructing a holding facility at the elevated section of Sandhurst Road station.

Ending trains at Sandhurst Road will leave the two tracks between the station and CSMT. These tracks, currently used for trains on the harbour line, would be reassigned. The main line's slow trains would use the newly available tracks. Further, the current fast train tracks would be dedicated to long-distance trains.

However, several railway officials believe this idea is not practical. The main concern is that Sandhurst Road station cannot handle high volumes of traffic. Hence, authorities have suggested that the railways should explore other options.

This proposal does not require acquiring land on the eastern side between Masjid and Sandhurst Road stations. This area houses many residential and commercial buildings, making land acquisition challenging.

Part of the plan involves significant changes to Byculla Station. In order to make room for the new tracks, CR also intends to remove the Byculla fast corridor platforms. If this happens, fast trains won't stop anywhere between CSMT and Dadar.

Some officials have suggested that the plan would become an inconvenience to travellers because of the heavy burden it would place on Sandhurst Road’s slow corridor platforms. The station is currently not equipped to manage heavy pedestrian traffic. Even with a holding space, commuters might not wait. Instead, acquiring nearby land for facilities might be a better solution.