Mumbai’s transport network is facing mounting pressure as seven road overbridge projects across the metropolitan region remain stranded despite the railway sections being completed. Central Railway has flagged the issue to multiple civic bodies, emphasising that the incomplete approach roads have rendered key bridges unusable, delaying both suburban and long-distance train operations. The situation highlights the increasing infrastructural stress in one of India’s busiest commuter corridors and exposes the consequences of weak coordination between agencies.
These road overbridges, which span locations on the CSMT–Kalyan line, the Kalyan–Karjat and Karjat–Lonavla stretches, and the Panvel–Roha corridor, were designed to replace heavily used level crossings. Railway teams completed their portions through time-consuming mega blocks, but the bridges now stand suspended over the tracks without any functioning links to the road network. Officials noted that the civic components have been held up by land acquisition challenges, ongoing court cases, utility relocation and stalled tendering processes. The absence of these bridges has had a direct impact on daily mobility. At the Diva level crossing alone, gates open over a hundred times a day, causing long queues of vehicles on either side and forcing trains to halt near the station to allow road traffic to clear. Commuters say this has become routine, adding uncertainty and stress to journeys that already stretch the limits of Mumbai’s transport infrastructure. “These gaps defeat the purpose of building overbridges meant to improve safety and reduce delays,” said an official familiar with the matter.
Urban planners point out that such delays undermine broader goals of creating efficient, low-carbon transport networks. Level crossings not only produce avoidable idling emissions from vehicles but also intensify congestion in neighbourhoods that lack safe pedestrian and cycling infrastructure. A senior mobility expert noted that the prolonged inaction “locks up public investment and slows progress toward equitable, reliable and sustainable urban mobility”. Civic authorities have been issued multiple reminders by the Railways to expedite the missing approach works. However, officials within local bodies admit that many cases remain caught in legal proceedings or protracted negotiations with affected landowners. Industry experts argue that the absence of a unified project oversight framework between rail authorities and municipal bodies leads to fragmented execution, with no mechanism to enforce timelines once the railway component is completed.
Residents say they are frustrated by the stagnation. Commuter associations note that unfinished structures have become physical reminders of institutional disconnect, standing as concrete shells that offer no relief to the thousands who wait at crossings each day. For Mumbai, a city aspiring to build a resilient and integrated transport ecosystem, the delays signal a need to prioritise inter-agency coordination and adopt clearer accountability mechanisms. While there is no confirmed timeline for the opening of the seven pending overbridges, transport experts believe that resolving land and tender issues must be treated as a civic priority. Ensuring the completion of these projects, they say, is critical not only to improving train and road movement but also to building a more inclusive, climate-conscious mobility system for the region.
Central Railway Reports Seven Mumbai ROBs Incomplete As Civic Bodies Stall Progress
