15-car locals to reach Mumbai Central as Western Railway upgrades infrastructure

To address the chronic problem of overcrowding on the suburban railway network Western Railway has drawn up a longterm plan to introduce 15car trains up to Mumbai Central on the slow line in a phased mannerFrom Metro rail to the bullet train project and now at the helm of both Central and Western Railway 58yearold Vivek Kumar Gupta a 1988batch Indian Railway Service of Engineers officer has been closely involved in shaping railbased transport across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and beyondWR GM Vivek Kumar Gupta left during an inspection of suburban railway infrastructure PicBy Special ArrangementIn an exclusive interview with midday he spoke about the future of suburban rail operations and his longterm vision for the two networksExcerpts from the interviewYou have worked across Metro planning suburban rail and even highspeed rail How do you see your role in Mumbairsquos transport system todayMy role has largely been focused on planning and execution rather than publicfacing advocacy Early in my career with RITES I worked on alignment design and planning for Mumbai Metro Line 2 and Line 4 which involved feasibility studies and demand assessmentToday as general manager of both Central and Western Railway the focus is on completing unfinished rail corridors and upgrading existing infrastructure on two of the most complex suburban railway systems in the world Having also led the National High Speed Rail Corporation the task now is to ensure that suburban rail Metro and other railbased systems evolve in a coordinated manner rather than in isolationThe Metro network is expanding rapidly Will it meaningfully reduce crowding on Mumbairsquos suburban railwayThe suburban railway will continue to be Mumbairsquos primary lifeline even after the Metro network is completed The Metro is designed to complement the suburban system not replace itA crowded scene during evening peak hours at a station on Central Railway File picAshish RajeSuburban trains will remain heavily used because demand continues to grow and because Metro lines have largely been planned along corridors where traditional railway lines did not exist That is why there is sustained investment in upgrading and expanding suburban rail capacity alongside Metro development The suburban network itself is being upgraded to integrate better with the Metro systemOvercrowding remains the biggest commuter concern What immediate steps are being taken to address thisOne of the most effective shortterm measures is the systematic increase in the number of 15car local trains On Western Railway 15car services currently operate on the slow corridor between Andheri and Virar Work is underway to extend them up to BandraIn the first phase the plan is to take these services further to Dadar and eventually to Mumbai Central on the slow line This requires careful planning including platform extensions and infrastructure upgrades and is being implemented in phasesVivek Kumar Gupta WR general manager and officiating head of CR right during a field inspection PicBy Special ArrangementOn Central Railway platforms are being lengthened and infrastructure upgraded to support longer trains In parallel both Central and Western Railways will increase the number of AC local services from January 26What are the key infrastructure upgrades underway on Central Railway beyond the 15car planCentral Railway is undergoing upgrades at multiple locations These include the development of new corridors beyond Kalyan extensive remodelling work at Kalyan station and infrastructure improvements at PanvelKurla station which is operationally one of the most complex nodes has been particularly challenging Work has now begun from the Tilak Nagar end These projects are part of a broader transformation with several works currently in progress and expected to be completed over the next few years