Central Railway Takes Over 14 Navi Mumbai Stations From CIDCO

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has formally handed over 14 railway stations across Navi Mumbai and the Thane-Turbhe corridor to Central Railway. The move completes the transition of all 17 stations developed by the planning agency and shifts control over operational management and commercial revenue streams, including advertisements and pay-and-park arrangements, to the national transporter.

The 14 stations handed over on August 14 include Airoli, Rabale, Ghansoli, Koparkhairne, Turbhe, Vashi, Sanpada, Juinagar, Nerul, Seawoods-Darave-Karave, CBD Belapur, Kharghar, Mansarovar, and Khandeshwar. Central Railway will now manage statutory train operations, commuter safety, track and signalling maintenance, and commercial advertising rights across these locations.

Under the transition plan, CIDCO has been instructed to share details of existing advertisement, hoarding, and pay-and-park agreements by October 15, subject to the finalisation of a mutually agreed land plan by September 30. Central Railway will take charge of these commercial operations starting October 16 after serving the necessary notices under existing contracts.

The transfer of commercial rights is notable because several stations were developed by CIDCO with commercial office complexes integrated above, below, or adjacent to passenger platforms. The development model was originally designed to cross-subsidise the capital expenditure incurred in creating the rail network in the region.

The handover follows an agreement reached during a coordination meeting held on May 15 at Chintan Hall in the Central Railway General Manager’s Office at CSMT, where officials decided to transfer all 17 CIDCO-developed stations within a six-month window. The first batch of three stations—Targhar, Bamandongri, and Kharkopar on the Nerul/Belapur-Seawoods-Uran corridor—was handed over to Central Railway on June 22.

The remaining 14 stations cover the Mankhurd-Belapur, Thane-Turbhe-Nerul/Vashi, and Belapur-Panvel corridors. The transfer concludes more than three decades of CIDCO's direct role in managing station infrastructure, dating back to the commissioning of the Mankhurd-Belapur line up to Vashi in 1992.

Administrative procedures remain underway to complete the final handover. Existing CIDCO contracts for housekeeping, pay-and-use toilets, and dewatering pumps will remain active until September 30, with Central Railway assuming responsibility for these services on October 1. Land lease agreements, power and water supply pacts, and detailed sewage plans are scheduled to be finalised and executed by October 31.