Vasai bypass rail project to claim 14 hectares of mangroves

MUMBAI: The proposed Vasai bypass rail project, a link between the Western Railway and the Konkan Railway, will require 14

MUMBAI: The proposed Vasai bypass rail project, a link between the Western Railway and the Konkan Railway, will require 14.18 hectares of mangroves to be cleared. Environmental clearance is currently being processed for this much-delayed project.

The project, a 5.73-km line connecting Naigaon station on the Western Railway and Juchandra station on the Vasai-Diva line, is designed to bypass Vasai Road station and eliminate a major rail bottleneck for long-distance and freight trains. It will allow trains travelling from Mumbai’s western suburbs towards the Konkan to directly access the Konkan Railway.

The direct connection between the Western and Konkan routes would eliminate the need for trains to reverse at existing junctions, helping reduce travel time and improve the movement of both passenger and freight trains.

Of the total mangrove area proposed to be diverted for the project, 9.55 hectares will be required for the Vasai bypass, while 4.63 hectares has been earmarked for stabling lines being developed under MUTP-IIIA.

“The mangrove marking exercise for the project was completed in May, after which flag marking was carried out as instructed by the forest department,” said a railway official. The mangrove tree marking report was submitted to the divisional forest officer, Thane, in June, for a joint site inspection. And in July, the forest department conducted a joint inspection and verified the tree marking report, the official said.

Critics say the environmental cost of the project is being ignored. “The appetite to devour mangroves in the name of projects is never ending,” said Stalin D, director of environmental non-profit the Vanashakti.

The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Vasai bypass project, estimated at ₹175.99 crore, was sanctioned by the Railway Board in July 2023. A consultancy tender for preparing land plans, Engineering Survey Plans (ESP), mangrove-cutting approvals and other statutory requirements was awarded in July 2024. The land acquisition process is underway.

The joint measurement of land will establish the exact amount of land required for the project. The ESP for Naigaon station, including stabling lines under MUTP-3A and a goods shed, is currently under review. The Juchandra ESP is yet to be approved by the Central Railway.