Western Railway to survey underground tunnel between Churchgate and Mumbai Central

The Western Railway has received approval from the Railway Board to conduct a feasibility study and a final local survey for a proposed underground rail tunnel linking Churchgate and Mumbai Central. The planned tunnel, which could potentially extend to Prabhadevi, aims to accommodate suburban local trains and segregate tracks for long-distance services amid severe land acquisition and urban density constraints.

The final local survey will begin in the near future to examine the requirement and decide the final route of the proposed underground corridor. Western Railway officials stated that the push for an underground network is driven by multiple surface-level hurdles. Adding more surface lines has become increasingly difficult due to high land acquisition costs, dense urban development, and litigation that frequently delays project execution.

Constructing underground rail tunnels in Mumbai is estimated to cost approximately ₹1,100 crore per kilometer. This is nearly four times the cost of building elevated corridors, which are estimated at ₹250 crore to ₹300 crore per kilometer. Despite the high cost, railway officials believe the tunnel will bypass existing hurdles, create parallel capacity, and enable the segregation of suburban services from goods and long-distance trains.

Currently, Western Railway is working on adding a fifth and sixth line between Mumbai Central and Mahim, with a completion deadline of March 2029. While work on the fifth line is nearly complete, progress on the sixth line has been slow due to land acquisition challenges. During the upcoming survey, officials will explore whether the proposed underground tunnel can serve as an alternative to the sixth line on the Mumbai Central-Mahim stretch.

Additionally, Central Railway is exploring a similar underground rail tunnel on the Parel to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus stretch due to similar land acquisition difficulties.