Mumbai: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India strongly criticised Indian Railways for the prolonged delay in completing Central Railway’s 5th and 6th rail line construction between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and Kurla. Initiated in 2008, the project remains unfinished 17 years later. It has now been divided into two phases: Kurla to Parel (Phase 1), where work is ongoing, and Parel to CSMT (Phase 2).
According to the CAG’s report, the Baseline Socio-Economic (BSE) survey for Phase 1 was not completed even after 11 years since September 2012. Furthermore, Project Affected Persons (PAPs) had not been rehabilitated as of January 2024, since the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) failed to complete housing units at Nahur. This hindered land acquisition for the project.
Lack Of Co-ordination Between Zonal Railways
Additionally, co-ordination issues between Zonal Railways further delayed progress. Central Railway (CR) requested land transfer from Western Railway (WR) in December 2015, but WR had yet to act on this request as of January 2024. Due to these factors, the completion date was pushed from March 2021 to March 2024.
The report further highlighted that Rs 500.93 crore, which accounts for 56.22 per cent of the sanctioned budget of Rs 890.89 crore (as per the September 2014 estimate), had been spent. However, only 26 percent of the physical work was completed by January 2024, making it likely that the completion deadline will be extended further. CR officials stated that the revised project cost now stands at Rs 1,337 crore.
Land Issues Delaying Project
Another major issue was the inaccurate detailed estimate prepared by M/s Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES). The report also pointed out co-ordination failures with the state government, non-compliance with codal provisions and disregard for Railway Board directives on minimising land acquisition. As a result, the land requirement was overestimated in the planning stage, leading to further delays.
Essential Materials Left Idle At Site
Additionally, the audit found that essential materials for electrical, signal, and telecommunication departments were left idle because contracts were awarded before ensuring site availability.
Despite these setbacks, land acquisition for the Kurla-Parel stretch is nearing completion and other project works are progressing. Phase 1 spans 10.1 km from Kurla to Parel, while Phase 2 covers the 7.4 km distance from Parel to CSMT. The primary objective of this project is to segregate suburban and long-distance train operations. Currently, Central Railway operates six tracks up to Lokmanya Tilak Terminus (LTT).
