Western line (Mumbai Suburban Railway)
Public transit system in the Mumbai Suburban Railway
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The Western line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway is an Indian public transit system serving Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Maharashtra. It consists of 37 stations from Dahanu Road to Churchgate. It is operated by Western Railways (WR). The entire line is at grade.
Palghar district, Maharashtra, India
- Churchgate (south)
- Dahanu Road (north)
Trains are differentiated as slow and fast locals. Slow trains stop at all stations, while fast ones stop at main stations only and are preferable over longer distances. Trains usually start from and terminate at main stations. The section from Churchgate to Virar is a Quadruple track. An EMU car shed has been built between Nallasopara and Virar which is the largest car shed in both India and Asia. A repair shop for EMUs is situated at Mahalaxmi. There are also EMU car sheds at Mumbai Central and Kandivli. A new EMU car shed at Vangaon has been proposed to support the growing number of local trains to Dahanu Road after the quadrupling project is finished.
History
Suburban service on what is now the Western line was offered by the Bombay, Baroda and Central India Railway, which began running steam trains in 1867.[2] Rakes operating on DC electricity were introduced on 5 January 1928. Leslie Wilson (politician), the then-Governor of Bombay inaugurated the line running between Colaba and Borivali at Mahalaxmi, in the presence of 700 invitees.[3]
When the section between Colaba and Borivali was electrified in 1928, two lines were electrified between Colaba and Grant Road and between Bandra and Borivali, while four lines were electrified between Grant Road and Bandra. Between Bandra and Borivali, two other non-electrified lines were used by steam locomotives hauling passenger and freight trains. In 1936, all four lines between Bandra and Borivali and two lines between Borivali to Virar were electrified, thus eliminating steam locomotives there.
The proposal to ply Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains between Dahanu and Churchgate was approved in the 2012–13 Railway Budget. In March 2013, 18 MEMU services ran between Virar and Dahanu daily.[4][5]
On 16 April 2013, the 160th anniversary of the Indian Railways,[6] Railway Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal inaugurated the first EMU service between Churchgate and Dahanu Road.[7][8] The first Churchgate-Dahanu local was flagged off around 10:47am and arrived at Churchgate at 1:44pm. Prior to the launch of this service, EMU services on WR only ran on the 60 km stretch between Churchgate and Virar.[9][10]
The Western Line transported 127.94 crore passengers (1.28 billion) in the 2016-17 fiscal year. This is higher than the population of India according to the 2011 Census, which was recorded as 121.01 crores. During the same period, Western Railway sold 270.3 million tickets and 13.7 million season passes, earning a total revenue of ₹818.48 crore (US$85 million) from its suburban rail operations.[11]
Timeline
- 1864: BB&CI train reaches Mumbai, runs between Grant Road to Ahmedabad
- 12 April 1867: Local service commences between Virar and Back Bay
- 1870: Churchgate station opened.
- 1873: Line extended to Colaba terminus
- January 1899: BB&CI Headquarters building completed
- 1928: First electric suburban train ran from Colaba to Borivali
- 1930: Colaba station closed, Churchgate becomes the new suburban Terminus
- 5 November 1951: BB&CI renamed Western Railway
- 3 March 1961: 9-coach suburban trains introduced
- 1972:
- Total no. of suburban services crossed 500 (501 trains)
- Churchgate - Mumbai central section became a four-track section.[12]
- 1986: 12 coach service started on Dadar - Virar section
- 5 May 1992: Worlds first Ladies Special service introduced on WR
- 1992: Exclusive Accommodation for Senior Citizens introduced in suburban trains
- 1994: Coupon Validating Machines (CVMs) introduced on WR
- 2001: Introducing of First DC/AC 12 car suburban service
- 2002: Western Railway reorganised
- 2003: Train Management System (TMS) started on Mumbai Suburban
- 2003: Number of WR suburban services per day crossed 1000
- 2006: First Unreserved Ticketing System (UTS) started over WR’s Mumbai suburban section
- 2007:
- 2009: 15 car trains introduced[16]
- 28 February 2010: Borivali - Virar slow line section charged with 25 KV AC (though fast lines have already been under AC traction).[17]
- 2011: 15 car trains extended till Churchgate[18]
- 2011: Vile Parle - Borivali section charged with 25 KV AC
- 4 February 2012: Last DC local train ran on WR
- 5 February 2012: Churchgate – Vile Parle section charged with 25 KV AC
- 20 November 2012: 9 car services phased out from Main Line
- 2013: Suburban EMU trains extended up to Dahanu Road
- 2013: 150th year of arrival of trains on Western lines in Mumbai
- 2014: Fixed denomination windows for speedy dispersal of Suburban tickets
- 2014: Mobile ticketing launched on Mumbai Suburban Section
- 2015: India’s first suburban train with closing doors (in first class ladies coach) started, First CCTV in ladies coach
- 2015: First Bombardier rake entered service on 18 March
- 2015: Coupon Validating Machines (CVMs) discontinued, Paperless tickets through mobile
- 2017: New Suburban Rake with indigenous electrics under Make in India introduced on WR
- 25 December 2017: India’s first Air-Conditioned suburban train introduced on WR[19][20]
- 29 March 2018: Harbour Line Extended from Andheri to Goregaon
- 22 March 2020: Indian Railways suspends all its passenger trains operations including suburban operations due to lockdown induced upon by COVID-19 pandemic
- 28 October 2021: WR’s Mumbai suburban local trains resume to Pre – COVID level services of 1367, i.e 100% services[21]
- January 2024: Western Railway Headquarters Building at Churchgate completes 125 years
- 2024: Total no. of WR suburban services per day crossed 1400 (1406 services), Total no. of AC suburban services crosses 100 (109 services)
- 2024: Total no. of 15 coach suburban services crosses double century mark (213 services)
Stations
(Names in bold indicate that the station is a fast train stop.)
| Western line | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Station Name | Station Code | Connections | |
| English | Marathi | |||
| 1 | Churchgate | चर्चगेट | CH/CCG |  Aqua Line 3 |
| 2 | Marine Lines‡ | मरीन लाइन्स | MEL | None |
| 3 | Charni Road‡ | चर्नी रोड | CYR | None |
| 4 | Grant Road‡ | ग्रँट रोड | GTR | Aqua Line 3 |
| 5 | Mumbai Central | मुंबई सेंट्रल | MMCT | Indian Railways |
| 6 | Mahalaxmi | महालक्ष्मी | MX | Aqua Line 3  Sant Gadgil Maharaj Chowk |
| 7 | Lower Parel | लोअर परळ | PL | None |
| 8 | Prabhadevi | प्रभादेवी | PBHD | Central Parel† |
| 9 | Dadar | दादर | D/DDR | Indian Railways and |
| 10 | Matunga Road | माटुंगा रोड | MRU | Central Matunga* |
| 11 | Mahim Junction | माहिम जंक्शन | MM | Harbour |
| 12 | Bandra | वांद्रे | B/BA | Harbour  Yellow Line 2B  Bandra Terminus |
| 13 | Khar Road | खार रोड | KHAR | Harbour |
| 14 | Santacruz | सांताक्रुझ | STC | Harbour |
| 15 | Vile Parle | विलेपार्ले | VLP | Harbour |
| 16 | Andheri | अंधेरी | AD/ADH | Indian Railways, Harbour and |
| 17 | Jogeshwari | जोगेश्वरी | JOS | Harbour Pink Line |
| 18 | Ram Mandir | राम मंदिर | RMAR | Harbour |
| 19 | Goregaon | गोरेगाव | GO/GMN | Harbour |
| 20 | Malad | मालाड | M/MDD | None |
| 21 | Kandivli | कांदिवली | KILE | None |
| 22 | Borivali | बोरीवली | BO/BVI | Indian Railways |
| 23 | Dahisar | दहिसर | DIC | Yellow Line 2A |
| 24 | Mira Road | मीरा रोड | MIRA | None |
| 25 | Bhayandar | भाईंदर | BY/BYR | None |
| 26 | Naigaon | नायगाव | NIG | None |
| 27 | Vasai Road | वसई रोड | BS/BSR | Indian Railways and Vasai Road–Roha |
| 28 | Nallasopara | नालासोपारा | NS/NSP | None |
| 29 | Virar | विरार | V/VR | Indian Railways |
| 30 | Vaitarna | वैतरणा | VTN | None |
| 31 | Saphale | सफाळे | SAH | None |
| 32 | Kelve Road | केळवे रोड | KLV | None |
| 33 | Palghar | पालघर | PLG | Indian Railways |
| 34 | Umroli | उमरोळी | UOI | None |
| 35 | Boisar | बोईसर | BOR | None |
| 36 | Vangaon | वाणगाव | VGN | None |
| 37 | Dahanu Road | डहाणू रोड | DH/DRD | Indian Railways |
‡ indicates the stations which Fast Up trains (to Churchgate) skip from around 5PM to 8PM.[22]
;†A footbridge links Parel to Prabhadevi on the Western line. * A footbridge links Matunga to Matunga Road on the Western line, called Matunga Z bridge.
Churchgate railway station is the terminus railway station at the south end of Mumbai city. In Mumbai, Western Line (WR) suburban trains use this station as terminus. Long-distance trains and goods/oil tanker trains terminate at Mumbai Central railway station instead. Trains also going from Mumbai Central to other cities halt at Dadar (DDR), Andheri, Borivali, Vasai Road and Virar.
Above list of stations is mentioned from south end going towards northern suburban areas falling on WR corridor.
Electrification
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Western Railway's EMU fleet consists of EMUs running on AC 25 kV power. WR uses seven 9-car rakes.
The Western line began running electric trains with DC power on 5 January 1928.[23]
On 5 February 2012, WR finished converting the entire Western line from the earlier used 1,500 V DC to 25 kV AC power. The entire power conversion project cost about ₹500 crore. Since 25 kV AC power is 17 times stronger than DC, people riding on top of the trains will be killed if they come into contact with the overhead wires.[24]
The project was also expected to improve the punctuality of train services, make them energy-efficient and allow a greater number of 12-coach and 15-coach trains to ply. Post-conversion, local trains will be able to achieve speeds of 100 km/h with ease. The next step would be to convert the remaining 9-coach trains to 12-coach ones, thus augmenting the carrying capacity by 33%.[25] The system will need less maintenance.[26]
While using DC traction, 22 substations provided power to suburban trains on the Western line. Since switching over to AC traction, substations at Mahalaxmi, Bandra, Jogeshwari, Borivli and Vasai supply 25 kV power to local trains.[27]
Services
As of 27 March 2012, the Western line has approximately 1,290 local services running, which carry about 3.55 million commuters every day.[28] These 1290 local services are operated using 80 trains.[29] Western Railways' EMUs are in 12 car and 15 car formations.[30]
The first 9-car service on the Western line ran on 2 March 1961. The 9-car service has since been phased out, and the last service ran on the Western line on 20 November 2012.[31] However, 10 services (six on CR and four on WR) were still operated as 9-car even after that date, as the track is shared by the Western line and the Harbour line. Harbour line platforms are too short to accommodate longer trains.[32]
On 28 October 1986, 12-car services between Dadar and Virar were introduced. They halt at all six stations between Borivali and Virar because the Borivali-Virar section was still a double-track section for another 2 decades, making it impossible for fast locals to overtake slow locals unlike on the section between Churchgate and Borivali. Only in 2007 did fast locals started to skip Dahisar, Mira Road, Naigaon, and Nallasopara.
On 21 November 2009, 15-car services between Dadar and Virar were introduced.[33] Originally, they halt at only two stations between Borivali and Virar, i.e. Bhayandar and Vasai Road, but now they halt at all six stations between Borivali and Virar, and halt at only one station (Mumbai Central) between Churchgate and Dadar. 15-coach trains are used in non-peak hours. They cannot be used in peak hours because the station platforms are too narrow to handle the increased foot traffic.[34]
| No. of coaches | No. of Services |
|---|---|
| Harbour Locals | 110 |
| 12 | 1,150 |
| 15 | 30 |
| Total | 1,290[35] |
Historical
The following table shows the number of services and daily ridership on the Western line throughout its history.[36]
| Year | No. of Services | Daily Ridership |
|---|---|---|
| 1867 | 6 | No data |
| 1990–91 | 866 | 2.3 million |
| 1991–92 | 900 | 2.5 million |
| 2000–01 | 961 | 2.82 million |
| 16 April 2013 | 1305 | 3.6 million |
| 2025 | 1305+ | 4 milliion |
AC Local
| Services | Days | Started from |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Daily | 25 December 2017 |
| 11 | Daily | 22 November 2021 |
| 13 | Mon-Fri | 16 May 2022 |
| 8+7 | Daily | 20 June & 8 Aug 2022 |
| 13 | Daily | 1 October 2022 |
| 13 | Daily | 1 October 2022 |
| 16 | Mon-Fri | 6 November 2023 |
| 13 | Mon-Fri | 27 November 2024 |
| 12 | Daily | 26 January 2026 |
| 12 | Daily | 19 February 2026 |
| 12 | Daily | 1 May 2026 |
| 142+3 | Total |
| Train No. | Departure | Origin | Arrival | Destination | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94002/4 | 4:00 | Nallasopara | 5:36 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94006 | 4:50 | Nallasopara | 6:29 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94110 | 5:14 | Goregaon | 6:11 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94122 | 5:45 | Borivali | 6:51 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94124 | 8:06 | Borivali | 9:11 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94024 | 8:33 | Virar | 10:20 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94126 | 10:11 | Goregaon | 11:09 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94040 | 11:35 | Borivali | 12:40 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94052 | 13:55 | Borivali | 15:00 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94060 | 15:00 | Virar | 15:36 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94074 | 16:48 | Virar | 17:26 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94128 | 17:27 | Borivali | 18:35 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94088 | 18:30 | Virar | 19:44 | Bandra | Slow |
| 94120 | 19:06 | Goregaon | 20:01 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94130 | 20:20 | Bhayandar | 20:59 | Andheri | Slow |
| 94142 | 20:25 | Borivali | 21:34 | Churchgate | Slow |
| 94132 | 22:20 | Vasai Road | 22:46 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94104 | 22:56 | Bhayandar | 23:11 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94144 | 22:58 | Borivali | 0:08 | Churchgate | Slow |
| Train No. | Departure | Origin | Arrival | Destination | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 94001 | 5:07 | Borivali | 5:45 | Virar | Slow |
| 94003 | 5:35 | Mahalaxmi | 6:30 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94005 | 5:40 | Churchgate | 6:45 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94111 | 6:14 | Churchgate | 7:19 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94009 | 6:35 | Churchgate | 7:41 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94107 | 6:39 | Mahalaxmi | 7:34 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94123 | 6:55 | Churchgate | 8:00 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94011 | 6:57 | Mahalaxmi | 8:23 | Virar | Slow |
| 94125 | 9:14 | Churchgate | 10:07 | Goregaon | Slow |
| 94029 | 10:24 | Churchgate | 11:31 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94127 | 11:12 | Churchgate | 11:22 | Mumbai Central | Slow |
| 94047 | 12:45 | Churchgate | 13:50 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94049 | 13:08 | Churchgate | 14:52 | Virar | Slow |
| 94117 | 13:52 | Churchgate | 15:36 | Virar | Slow |
| 94059 | 15:05 | Churchgate | 16:13 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94057 | 15:44 | Borivali | 16:25 | Virar | Slow |
| 94129 | 16:30 | Mahalaxmi | 17:23 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94119 | 17:57 | Churchgate | 18:51 | Goregaon | Slow |
| 94131 | 18:38 | Churchgate | 20:03 | Bhayandar | Slow |
| 94087 | 19:52 | Bandra | 20:43 | Bhayandar | Slow |
| 94121 | 20:07 | Churchgate | 21:02 | Goregaon | Slow |
| 94133 | 21:08 | Andheri | 21:58 | Vasai Road | Slow |
| 94097 | 21:23 | Churchgate | 22:43 | Bhayandar | Slow |
| 94143 | 21:39 | Churchgate | 22:46 | Borivali | Slow |
| 94103 | 23:19 | Borivali | 23:56 | Virar | Slow |
| 94145 | 0:13 | Churchgate | 1:33 | Bhayander | Slow |
Facilities
Escalators
WR has escalators at 26 stations including some main stations like Borivali, Andheri, Dadar, Vasai Road and Virar for the common people. This helps the physically challenged and senior citizens.
FOBs and Subways
As of 29 April 2013, there are 102 foot over bridges (FOB)[37] and 8 subways on the Western line.[38]
Train Management System
The Train Management System (TMS) is used by both staff and passengers to monitor the location of trains. TMS enables commuters to know what trains will be arriving in the next 10 minutes. The system was implemented on the Western line in 2004.[39]
Wi-Fi Facility
Free Wi-Fi facility from the Indian Railways (RailWire) is provided at some stations of the Western Line like Churchgate, Mumbai Central, Dadar, Bandra, Khar Road, Andheri, Borivali, Bhayander, Vasai Road and Virar.
Fatalities
In 2011, 1,313 commuters died in accidents on the Western line, mainly via trespassing on ten particular stretches of track. Since mid-February 2012, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel patrol the areas from 7am-11am and 5pm-10pm, the peak times for such incidents. Initially, they used posters in an education campaign and only cautioned offenders. They later escalated to arresting people.[40]