Mumbai's suburban railway is getting a big upgrade. By 2029,238 new air-conditioned local train rakes will hit the tracks,Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on August 13,2026. goal? Make train travel feel like riding the metro.
At a flurry of project inaugurations by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA),Fadnavis said rakes will roll out of factories in Chennai,Kapurthala,and Raebareli . This move is all about smoother,more efficient travel across the network .
And more: Fadnavis opened big-ticket infrastructure projects like new Chembur Metro Station,part of Metro Line 2B's Phase 1A,and an elevated corridor from Bharat Nagar Road to Vakola Junction. These are designed to cut congestion and boost connectivity in this teeming city.
In nod to history, new flyover linking G Block of Bandra-Kurla Complex with Eastern Express Highway was named after Barrister Babasaheb Anantrao Bhosale, honoring a key figure in Maharashtra's politics.
The Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) spans 10.88 kilometers, linking Western and Eastern Express Highways. With the Bharat Nagar–Vakola link and Metro Line 2B's extension to Chembur,traffic at busy Vakola junction should ease,making access to Bandra Kurla Complex better.
Fadnavis pointed out that final stretch of SCLR,including a 1.2-kilometer elevated road costing ₹645 crore,will connect spots like Vakola Junction and Ambedkar Chowk . "In 2018,we decided six links were needed to decongest BKC. This is the last one," he said. Slowly but surely,traffic will clear up.
As part of bigger metro plans,Chembur station is a key piece of Metro Line 2B,which will run from Mandale to DN Nagar,through Bandra Kurla Complex. Fadnavis expects 60 to 70 kilometers of metro line to open this year,offering more public transport options.
Metro Line 2B's total cost is pegged at ₹10,986 crore,including state taxes and a 7.5% annual escalation. This investment shows the government's push to improve urban transit and cut travel times.
Meanwhile,the Twin Tube Tunnel between Thane and Borivali aims to connect the Western Express Highway and Thane Ghodbander Road . With an 11.85-kilometer length,it's set to be India's largest tunnel at a cost of ₹16,600.40 crore to Megha Engineering Infrastructures Ltd.
"This will speed up the work," Fadnavis said about the second tunnel launch,named Arjuna,following TVM Naik. It's expected to cut 12 kilometers off the trip and save an hour between Borivali and Thane,boosting regional connectivity.
