Railways and Maharashtra government prepare to form a high-level coordination committee to integrate the city’s suburban rail network with its expanding metro corridors. The initiative aims to create smoother interchange facilities across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), reducing commuter hassle and enhancing infrastructure synergy between the two modes.
The integration push comes as Mumbai’s metro network is on course to cross 350 km in the coming years, complementing the existing suburban railway system that stretches over 400 km and carries over 7 million daily passengers. Officials believe that unless connectivity between these systems improves, the benefits of metro expansion may be underutilised. The newly proposed committee will be chaired by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which oversees most of the metro construction in the region. The panel will comprise representatives from key agencies including Central Railway, Western Railway, Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), CIDCO, MahaRail, BEST, and the Urban Development Department. Each body will nominate one representative to ensure focused participation and accountability.
The joint committee’s immediate mandate will be to identify strategic interchange nodes where metro lines intersect or run parallel to suburban rail corridors. Priority will be given to developing physical integration measures such as pedestrian skywalks, underground walkways, and unified entry-exit points. A consolidated implementation roadmap is expected to be drawn up following the committee’s first meeting, which sources say is likely to be convened shortly. According to a senior official, the Railway Board has formally communicated the need to the MRVC, emphasising that suburban and metro systems must function as a unified mobility framework rather than in isolation. The letter recommends tailored, location-specific solutions for smoother interchanges and quicker last-mile access.
This integration drive is not only expected to reduce travel fatigue and improve transit efficiency but also enable a modal shift from private to public transport—advancing the region’s broader sustainability goals and supporting equitable access to fast, reliable, and inclusive mobility solutions for Mumbai’s urban population.
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