Overview

• Presented to Ashwini Vaishnaw last year and appreciated in principle, the plan has not been advanced by Central Railway or included in its submissions to the Bombay High Court on crowding and safety.
• The proposal divides operations into eight independent corridors including CSMT–Thane (slow), Thane–Kalyan (slow), Kalyan–Kasara, Kalyan–Karjat, a fast CSMT–Kalyan sector, CSMT–Panvel, Belapur–Uran, and Thane–Nerul/Vashi.
• Backers say sectorisation could deliver roughly three-minute headways and expand daily services from about 1,810 to more than 5,000 using the current fleet and tracks.
• Implementation would hinge on major station works such as platform widening and double-sided discharge, new holding areas and foot overbridges, plus phased signalling upgrades and added lines and sidings.
• Current and former railway officials and many commuters label the concept impractical due to expected crush loads at interchange hubs, while Western Railway prioritises completing new lines and removing trackside encroachments for capacity gains.