INDIA: Western Railway is considering rebuilding the Bandra-Khar Road flyover during a 45-day block to accelerate work on the Mumbai Central-Borivali sixth line while limiting disruption to suburban services.

Khar Road station platforms and a Mumbai suburban train viewed from above
Khar Road suburban station in Mumbai. Illustrative image; it does not depict the current flyover work. Photo: A.Savin, Wikipedia, Free Art License.
Description: Photograph by A.Savin from Wikimedia Commons, available under the Free Art License with the requested credit “A.Savin, Wikipedia”.

45-day block would replace a six-month schedule

The proposed Bandra-Khar Road flyover rebuild would compress work originally estimated to require six months. Railway officials are examining advanced construction methods, including precast segmental construction, to shorten the intensive block and reduce the impact on Mumbai’s suburban network.

The 30.04-km Mumbai Central-Borivali sixth line is being delivered under Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase II in collaboration with Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation. It is intended to increase corridor capacity, improve punctuality, allow additional suburban services and provide clearer separation between suburban and long-distance operations.

The 45-day programme remains under consideration. Western Railway has not disclosed final block dates, so the shorter schedule should be treated as a construction target rather than a confirmed possession plan.

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Sixth-line work shifts towards central Mumbai

The Khar Road-Borivali portion has already been commissioned, leaving the more constrained Mumbai Central-Khar Road stretch as the next focus. In January 2026, Western Railway commissioned the final 3.21-km Kandivali-Borivali section, completing the Bandra Terminus-Borivali phase.

Preparation for the southern section is well advanced. Land acquisition is almost complete, with 88.6 square metres of government land at Shakti Mill in Lower Parel still awaiting final formalities. All five Engineering Sanction Proposals have been approved, while 14 of 29 identified utilities have been relocated.

Four of five planned Electric Interlocking buildings are complete. Signalling and telecommunications work is proceeding through three sanctioned packages, while contracts have been awarded for electrical foundations and overhead equipment.

Bandra platforms and 15 bridges form part of the scope

The phased programme covers 15 bridges, nearly 13.3 km of earthwork, island platforms, foot overbridges, station facilities and track infrastructure. It also includes new Platforms 7 and 8 at Bandra, rehabilitation of affected families in Bandra East, and the relocation or modification of railway assets and utilities at Mahim, Lower Parel and Mumbai Central.

Western Railway’s January 2026 project summary identifies Khar-Mumbai Central as the section being planned after works farther north. Rebuilding the flyover within a shorter block would remove one time-intensive element, but the overall sixth-line programme still depends on coordinated civil, signalling, electrical and station works.

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