Rs 8,087-cr project failed to reduce overcrowding in Mumbai local: World Bank report

The target of the project was to reduce overcrowding in suburban locals to 4,000 passengers, and bring down the travel time by two to six minutes between various sections in Mumbai.

The World Bank-funded Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 2 was planned to decongest the city’s suburban railway network for 75 lakh daily commuters.

Passengers travel on the footboards of a suburban local train in Mumbai. (Kunal Patil/HT File Photo)

But at the end of six years, it has now been revealed that MUTP 2 worth Rs 8,087 crore, missed all its relevant targets to reduce overcrowding, improve punctuality and travelling time of local trains. The original cost was Rs 5,400 crore.

A World Bank report on partial completion of MUTP 2, submitted last year, shows that the target to reduce overcrowding in our suburban locals to 4,000 passengers, reducing travelling time by two to six minutes between various sections and improving punctuality of trains to 98.5 and 94 points on Western railway (WR) and Central Railway (CR), could not be met.

The report was submitted to the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), a joint company formed by the state and Indian Railways and an executing body for MUTP-2 and other railway projects. The report has been accessed by HT.

RS Khurana, chairman and managing director of MRVC, however, said they have increased train capacity by up to 35% each in the first and second phase of MUTP, but the travel demand busted targets. “The capacity has increased, but the latent demand has also gone up in these years,” said Khurana.

The project is likely to be completed only by 2022. However, the World Bank-funded portion of the project, worth US $280 million more than a year ago. The report is seen as a review of the project by the funding agency. It indicates Mumbaiites are still a long way off from a commute that meets global standards.