Mumbai: The Centre has cleared 4.9 hectares of forest land for the proposed Boisar Goods Siding Yard under Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation’s (MRVC) Mumbai Urban Transport Project – Phase III (MUTP III). The project is part of the Virar-Dahanu quadrupling intended to boost the capacity of the Western Railway’s suburban trains.
The Forest Advisory Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) granted the approval in January, and the minutes were uploaded recently. The exact number of trees to be felled has not been declared yet. The project will also require an additional 7.7 hectares of non-forest land for Boisar siding.
The state government sent a fresh proposal to the Central Government on October 10, 2025, claiming the requested area was a degraded forest and does not fall within a 10-km radius of any national park or wildlife sanctuary. It also said that the project will not displace any human habitation and therefore requires no resettlement.
The Divisional Forest Officer of Dahanu, Palghar, certified that 10 hectares of degraded forest land in Palghar is identified for Compensatory Afforestation. The officer said the identified land is contiguous, suitable for afforestation and management, and free from encroachment.
In March last year, the MoEFCC allowed diversion of 43.68 hectares of mangrove forest land at Vangaon in Palghar district for constructing a new suburban train car shed and overhauling the workshop of Western Railway by MRVC.
To meet the rising commuter demand of the extended MMR, the Vadhavan Port, and the new city being planned there, the Dahanu to Virar line is being quadrupled.
Currently, Western Railway’s suburban trains use carsheds in Mahalaxmi, Kandivali and Virar.
Under MUTP-III, plans include extending the Harbour line from Goregaon to Borivali, providing the 5th and 6th lines between Borivali and Virar and other augmentation works. It is estimated that additional facilities for maintaining more than 60 rakes as well as overhauling more than 40 rakes will be required.