Central Railway Clearing Encroachments to Expedite Vande Bharat Depot in Mumbai

Central Railway has removed 45 encroachments in Mumbai’s Wadi Bunder area to move ahead with the planned Vande Bharat maintenance depot. The demolition was carried out after necessary court permissions, with railway officials stating that the process followed legal procedures and was coordinated with local authorities to avoid disruptions.

The encroachments were located near B D Chawl, close to Hancock Bridge, and included temporary structures as well as a two-storey building that had been standing on railway land for several years. Officials indicated that these structures had been a key hurdle in taking forward the project, as the land is part of the designated area for railway operations.

With the land now cleared, space has been made available within the Wadi Bunder yard, which has been identified as a suitable location for maintaining Vande Bharat trainsets. Work at the site had already started earlier at a preliminary level, but progress remained slow due to the presence of these encroachments. The latest action is expected to help speed up execution on the ground.

As per the current plan, the facility will have at least five stabling lines where Vande Bharat trains can be parked, inspected, and serviced. These lines are essential for routine maintenance, cleaning, and technical checks required to keep the trains operational. Railway officials have pointed out that such dedicated infrastructure is necessary as the number of semi-high-speed trains continues to increase across routes connected to Mumbai.

The Wadi Bunder yard has long been used for railway-related functions, and its redevelopment into a modern maintenance hub fits into Indian Railways’ broader efforts to upgrade infrastructure for newer train systems. In recent years, the focus has shifted towards creating specialised depots instead of relying only on existing facilities, which were not designed for advanced trainsets like Vande Bharat.

Officials also noted that timely removal of encroachments is critical in a city like Mumbai, where land availability is limited and infrastructure projects often face delays due to such issues. Clearing this stretch is expected to remove a major bottleneck and allow construction work to proceed in a more structured manner.