Central Railway Opposes Closing CSMT Platforms 14 and 15 for Redevelopment
A dispute has emerged between Central Railway and the Rail Land Development Authority over the temporary closure of platforms at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus for station redevelopment. While the executing agency wants to shut platforms 14 and 15 to facilitate construction, railway authorities have insisted that platforms 16 and 17 must be fully operational first to prevent severe operational disruption that could affect services running towards stations including Thane.
Platforms 16 and 17 have remained shut since February 1, forcing Central Railway to short-terminate between 10 and 14 long-distance trains at Dadar and Thane. These affected services include trains arriving from Howrah, Madgaon, and Bengaluru. Officials warned that shutting platforms 14 and 15 would impact an additional 16 to 18 daily long-distance services that currently rely on those tracks.
Central Railway sources stated that an initial traffic and power block on platform 16 was scheduled from February 1 to April 26 for 85 days, but was extended four times up to August 21. The block has now been pushed further to September 5, bringing the total duration to 218 days. Under the current schedule, the Mangaluru-CSMT Express will continue terminating at Thane, while the Howrah-CSMT Express, Amravati-CSMT Express, and Madgaon-CSMT Tejas Express will short-terminate at Dadar.
The Rail Land Development Authority contested the railway's claims, stating that platform 16 was handed back more than a fortnight ago and that the Mumbai Division is currently conducting track improvement work. Central Railway officials countered that passenger amenities on the platform are not yet operational, platform 17 remains occupied by construction personnel and machinery, and the railway work consists only of track and ballast cleaning.
On platforms 16 and 17, the executing agency has built pillars for an elevated deck linking a proposed building to the suburban concourse, alongside plans for a commercial building and hotel. Agency officials stated that 28 percent of the physical work is complete, though only the ground floor of the new structure is built, with work pending on the P D'Mello Road side.
The ₹2,450-crore revamp of the UNESCO World Heritage Site was cleared by the Union cabinet in September 2022. The completion deadline has moved from March 2026 to October 2028, following project delays triggered by gypsum procurement shortages linked to the West Asia conflict.
