Mumbai, Jan 13 (IANS) In a bid to ease the inhuman conditions of commuting for Mumbaikars, the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation Friday invited proposals to conduct a feasibility study for constructing new suburban railway corridors for the city and surrounding areas.

“The request for the proposal would lead to the appointing of a consultant to conduct a financial feasibility study to develop new suburban corridors as the existing suburban network has already achieved its saturation point,” an official said.

The new suburban corridor would be a component of the proposed third phase of the ambitious, ongoing Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) to improve, expand and develop the urban infrastructure including roads, railways, mono-rail, metro-rail, flyovers, skywalks, etc.

The existing suburban network, comprising Western Railway, Central Railway and the latter’s constituent Harbour Line, caters to over 8 million commuters daily.

“However, despite augmenting the passenger carrying capacity from the erstwhile nine coach EMUs to 12 and now even 15, commuters’ travails continue as the population also keeps growing,” the official explained.

In view of the severe space crunch, there is little or no scope for further expansion or augmentation of the suburban network, though a part of the load is taken up on the 2000 kms of roads criss-crossing the city, he said.

The MUTP is being implemented simultaneously with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), covering Mumbai, Mumbai suburbs, and parts of the adjoining districts of Thane and Raigad, in collaboration with other government agencies.

In order to cope up with the increased pressure on the existing suburban railway network, the MVRC is now looking at development of new rail corridors in Mumbai, particularly for the fast-growing suburbs.

The expansion plans include a fast corridor line between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Panvel on the Harbour Line and a new corridor connecting Virar in Thane with Panvel in Raigad.