The construction of two railway lines between Kurla and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), which began around 2015, has seen little progress, with the project being flagged as one of the biggest mismanaged ones in the April 2025 evaluation of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report. mid-day takes a look at what exactly has gone wrong on the ground.

Two phases

The project has been divided into two phases, from Kurla station to Parel station and from the latter to CSMT station. CR decided to complete the Phase I work first. At present, there are fifth and sixth lines between Kurla and Kalyan. These end near Vidyavihar and need to be extended to Parel and later CSMT. The CAG has reprimanded Railways, saying that construction contracts were awarded without approved designs and drawings, clear sites, etc, which led to delays in the completion of the work.