Min orders fresh feasibility report on scrapped Kurla-Bandra rail link

Mumbai: Mumbai suburban guardian minister, Ashish Shelar, ordered a fresh feasibility report to explore the revival of the long-abandoned Kurla-Bandra railway link. The directive was issued during a high-level coordination meeting attended by officials from Railways, MMRDA, MMRCL, MahaMetro, BMC, and the Mumbai Traffic Police.
Shelar posted on his social media handle, "The project, initially envisioned to ease congestion and improve direct access between the city's eastern and western suburbs, was dropped in 2011 on the grounds that Metro Line 2 would provide similar connectivity. However, with growing pressure from activists and citizens, the demand resurfaced."
RTI activist Anil Galgali, who was spearheading the campaign for restoration, raised serious allegations against the MMRDA.
He claimed the planning body altered the station layout under the pretext of Metro development and diverted land meant for rail infrastructure toward monetisation. "The city needs mass rail connectivity, not real estate deals," Galgali said.
Galgali placed four formal demands — revoking the Urban Development Department's 2018 notification, restoring the original alignment, preserving the proposed station sites in E and G blocks, and initiating an inquiry into MMRDA's handling of the project.
Transport experts argue that the Kurla-Bandra rail link could act as a vital pressure valve for overburdened stations like Dadar and Ghatkopar, especially with business districts like BKC continuing to expand.
The proposal to construct a railway line connecting Bandra and Kurla was originally floated to improve east–west connectivity in Mumbai. However, the plan was scrapped in 2011 by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which argued that the upcoming Metro Line 2 would serve the same purpose and that the project would interfere with Mithi River widening works.
Western Railway, a stakeholder in the initial plan, had stated that Metro line alone wouldn't suffice to cater to an estimated 36,000 peak-hour commuters.

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