Will Defence Ministry part with land for Western Railways mega Mumbai terminus?

3 min readUpdated: Jul 16, 2026 02:44 PM IST

Western Railway seeks Defence land for mega terminus: Will ministry give away land? (Image generated using AI)

In a bid to ease train congestion, the Western Railway has sought the Defence Ministry’s land in Kandivali to develop a mega project for a long-distance terminus with nine platforms and a coaching depot, The Indian Express has learnt. But the project cannot proceed unless the Defence Ministry agrees to give away the land. In the past, the Defence Ministry has rejected two such requests by the Western Railway, on the grounds that the land was under “active occupation”.

Sources said the Western Railway expects to pursue Defence land through the appropriate channels.

“The proposed site offers one of the few remaining large tracts of land capable of supporting a modern coaching terminal in Mumbai’s suburban region. However, the project is entirely dependent on obtaining the required land,” a source aware of the planning process said.

Proposed features of Kandivali terminus, coaching depot

As per the preliminary discussion plans accessed by The Indian Express, the proposed infrastructure is planned on two parcels of defence land between Kandivali and Malad – also located close to the Kandivali car shed and Poisar Metro station, making them strategically placed for future multimodal connectivity.

The larger land parcel, measuring approximately 1,100 metres by 400 metres, has been earmarked for the proposed coaching terminal.

The Railways plans a full-fledged long-distance terminus with nine platforms, each around 625 metres in length, capable of handling 54 mail and express trains.

The facility will also include six pit lines for routine inspection and maintenance of coaches.

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It will also have nine stabling lines for parking and servicing rakes.

Dedicated shunting tracks to facilitate train movements and two sick-line sheds where damaged or defective coaches can undergo repairs are also being planned.

The second plot – measuring roughly 700 metres by 60 metres – has been identified for stabling lines and pit lines.

If approved, the proposed long-distance terminus and coaching depot will augment terminal capacity in Mumbai.

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Currently, the existing long-distance stations, including Mumbai Central, Dadar, and Bandra Terminus, are operating near saturation.

If implemented, the Kandivali terminus is expected to reduce pressure on the existing terminals in south Mumbai and substantially increase operational flexibility by allowing more trains to originate and terminate from the western suburbs.

Location of the proposed plan, closer to the Metro network and arterial roads, could also improve passenger accessibility.