Mumbai’s suburban rail network is set for an infrastructure expansion at some of its busiest stations. Western Railway plans to build two new platforms at Borivali station, which will help create space for additional local train services towards Virar.
The plan also includes one new platform each at Andheri and Virar. With these works, the railway network is expected to get more capacity to handle the large number of passengers travelling on the Western Railway suburban section every day.
Borivali to get two new platforms
Borivali is one of the key stations on the Western Railway suburban network and handles a large volume of daily passenger traffic. The proposed two platforms are aimed at supporting the operation of more local trains on the Borivali-Virar section.
The new platforms will be around 330 metres long and 7 metres wide. The additional platform space will allow train operations to be managed more efficiently, while also creating scope for increasing the number of services on the route.
40 additional local trains planned towards Virar
The platform expansion at Borivali is expected to pave the way for around 40 additional local train services towards Virar.
Increasing the number of services on this section could help distribute passenger loads across more trains, especially during busy hours. It will also provide more options for passengers travelling between Borivali, Virar and stations in between.
The proposed expansion comes as passenger numbers remain substantial at major stations across the Western Railway suburban network.
Andheri, Virar to get one new platform each
The infrastructure plan also covers Andheri and Virar, with one new platform proposed at each station. Both stations are among the busiest points on the suburban network. The three stations handle the following daily passenger numbers:
| Station | Daily passengers |
| Andheri | 4,18,575 |
| Borivali | 4,48,645 |
| Virar | 5,81,198 |
With Borivali, Andheri and Virar handling lakhs of passengers each day, the planned platform additions are focused on expanding the capacity of Mumbai’s suburban rail network and supporting future local train operations.
What the expansion means for passengers
For passengers, the key change will be the possibility of more frequent local train services, particularly on the Borivali-Virar route.
Additional platforms can also give the railway more flexibility to schedule and manage trains without putting extra pressure on the existing platform infrastructure.